Bhutan: Lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Bhutan's lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) fell 6.04 percentage points on 2023 (from 58.61% to 52.57%).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2023), the average change was +1.12 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.83 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 10.78 percentage points in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 17.3 percentage points in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 2.88 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 71% of the movement over 9 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Bhutan had the 80th highest value of the 91 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Bhutan in the 2024 ranking

• Poland — 76th of 91: 57.5%
• Pakistan — 77th of 91: 57.05%
• Cambodia — 78th of 91: 55.72%
• Guatemala — 80th of 91: 47%
• Rwanda — 81st of 91: 42.83%
• Syrian Arab Republic — 82nd of 91: 38.92%

What this measures

Lower secondary education completion rate is measured as the gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary education (general and pre-vocational). It is calculated as the number of new entrants in the last grade of lower secondary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of lower secondary education.

Limitations: The data do not account for students who drop out during the final year of Lower secondary education. Therefore, this rate serves as a proxy and should be considered an upper estimate of the actual Lower secondary completion rate. There are many reasons why the primary completion rate can exceed 100 percent. The numerator may include late entrants and overage children who have repeated one or more grades of primary education as well as children who entered school early, while the denominator is the number of children at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 25 values

Lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 63.9% (2024)
• India — 86.93% (2025)
• Maldives — 89.66% (2024)
• Nepal — 95.34% (2025)
• Sri Lanka — 91.01% (2023)

More education data for Bhutan

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 91,759 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 114.88% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 119.29% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 110.82% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.04 (2021)
• Primary education, pupils (% female)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Bhutan's lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group)?

52.57% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1978?

It is up 46.98 percentage points from 5.59% in 1978. The highest value was 75.83% in 2017 and the lowest 5.59% in 1978.

How does Bhutan rank?

80th highest of 91 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) unusual for Bhutan?

In 2024, Bhutan's lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) fell 6.04 percentage points on 2023 (from 58.61% to 52.57%). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2023), the average change was +1.12 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.83 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.CMPT.LO.MA.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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