Eswatini: Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 0.17 percentage points from 28.44% in 2012. Since 1970 it is up 1.85 percentage points from 26.42% in 1970. The World Bank has no value for 12 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2017, Eswatini's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) rose 0.62 percentage points on 2016 (from 27.65% to 28.27%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1974 to 2016), the average change was −0.26 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.99 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 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 2.03 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.07 percentage points in 1975. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2017 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.26 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 33% 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 2017, Eswatini had the 2nd highest value of the 65 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 Eswatini in the 2017 ranking

• Lesotho — 2nd of 65: 21.08%
• Sweden — 3rd of 65: 18.94%
• Slovak Republic — 4th of 65: 15.83%

What this measures

Over-age students are the percentage of those enrolled who are older than the official school-age range for primary education.

All 36 values

Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) in nearby economies

• Benin — 7.87% (2018)
• Burkina Faso — 15.78% (2018)
• Burundi — 17.06% (2018)
• Cabo Verde — 10.2% (2018)
• Cameroon — 12% (2017)
• Chad — 13.89% (2016)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 7.98% (2018)
• Equatorial Guinea — 22.58% (2015)
• Eritrea — 24.69% (2018)
• Ethiopia — 12.12% (2015)

More education data for Eswatini

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group) — 95.27% (2023)
• Primary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) — 91.97% (2023)
• Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) — 93.61% (2023)
• Primary education, pupils — 222,351 (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 116.53% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Eswatini's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)?

28.27% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 1.85 percentage points from 26.42% in 1970. The highest value was 31.45% in 2009 and the lowest 18.84% in 1992.

How does Eswatini rank?

2nd highest of 65 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) unusual for Eswatini?

In 2017, Eswatini's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) rose 0.62 percentage points on 2016 (from 27.65% to 28.27%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1974 to 2016), the average change was −0.26 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.99 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 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.OENR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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