Gambia, The: School enrollment, preprimary (% gross)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 4.25 percentage points from 37.68% in 2017. Since 1992 it is up 20.23 percentage points from 21.7% in 1992. The World Bank has no value for 14 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2022, Gambia, The's school enrollment, preprimary (% gross) rose 0.42 percentage points on 2021 (from 41.52% to 41.94%).

Across the 10 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2021), the average change was +1.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.64 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below 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 6.89 percentage points in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.16 percentage points in 2021. 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.06 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 71% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Gambia, The in the 2022 ranking

• Nepal — 1st of 4: 93.7%
• Thailand — 2nd of 4: 74.37%
• Côte d'Ivoire — 4th of 4: 10.72%

What this measures

Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. Preprimary education refers to programs at the initial stage of organized instruction, designed primarily to introduce very young children to a school-type environment and to provide a bridge between home and school.

Limitations: Enrollment indicators are based on annual school surveys, but do not necessarily reflect actual attendance or dropout rates during the year. Also, the length of education differs across countries and can influence enrollment rates, although the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) tries to minimize the difference. For example, a shorter duration for primary education tends to increase the rate; a longer one to decrease it (in part because older children are more at risk of dropping out). Moreover, age at enrollment may be inaccurately estimated or misstated, especially in communities where registration of births is not strictly enforced.

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

All 17 values

School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) in nearby economies

• Angola — 39.61% (2016)
• Benin — 23.13% (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 6.5% (2021)
• Burundi — 16.49% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 74.7% (2019)
• Cameroon — 35.62% (2019)
• Central African Republic — 2.93% (2017)
• Chad — 1.27% (2021)
• Comoros — 21.81% (2018)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 6.86% (2020)
• Congo, Rep.

More education data for Gambia, The

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 442,901 (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 100.43% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 108.23% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 92.77% (2025)
• Primary education, teachers — 13,495 (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Gambia, The's school enrollment, preprimary (% gross)?

41.94% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1992?

It is up 20.23 percentage points from 21.7% in 1992. The highest value was 43.67% in 2020 and the lowest 15.56% in 2003.

Is the latest change in school enrollment, preprimary (% gross) unusual for Gambia, The?

In 2022, Gambia, The's school enrollment, preprimary (% gross) rose 0.42 percentage points on 2021 (from 41.52% to 41.94%). Across the 10 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2021), the average change was +1.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.64 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRE.ENRR, 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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