Colombia: School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Colombia's school enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) rose 0.95 percentage points on 2021 (from 18.37% to 19.32%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2021), the average change was +0.1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.86 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.05 percentage points in 1973 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.31 percentage points in 1972. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 6% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

Closest to Colombia in the 2022 ranking

• Ghana — 2nd of 9: 28.4%
• Benin — 3rd of 9: 25.78%
• Marshall Islands — 4th of 9: 20.02%
• Cabo Verde — 6th of 9: 2.17%
• Mozambique — 7th of 9: 1.97%
• Ireland — 8th of 9: 1%

What this measures

Private enrollment refers to pupils or students enrolled in institutions that are not operated by a public authority but controlled and managed, whether for profit or not, by a private body such as a nongovernmental organization, religious body, special interest group, foundation or business enterprise.

Limitations: Religious or private schools, which are not registered with the government or don't follow the common national curriculum, may not be captured.

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

All 46 values

School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 48.76% (2018)
• Argentina — 25.81% (2023)
• Bahamas, The — 27.46% (2024)
• Barbados — 12.93% (2024)
• Belize — 80.72% (2024)
• Bolivia — 10.06% (2024)
• Brazil — 19.14% (2024)
• British Virgin Islands — 22.46% (2024)
• Cayman Islands — 47.19% (2024)

More education data for Colombia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 4.14 million (2022)
• Primary education, teachers — 180,781 (2022)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.97 (2020)
• Secondary education, pupils — 4.85 million (2022)
• Primary education, pupils (% female) — 48.13% (2018)
• Pupil-teacher ratio, primary — 23.3 (2018)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Colombia's school enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary)?

19.32% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 5.88 percentage points from 13.43% in 1970. The highest value was 19.91% in 2019 and the lowest 10.93% in 1972.

Is the latest change in school enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) unusual for Colombia?

In 2022, Colombia's school enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) rose 0.95 percentage points on 2021 (from 18.37% to 19.32%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2021), the average change was +0.1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.86 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.PRIV.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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