Mali: Adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 3.66 percentage points from 62.61% in 2013. Since 1971 it is up 41.93 percentage points from 17.01% in 1971. The World Bank has no value for 27 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2018, Mali's adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children) fell 8.39 percentage points on 2017 (from 67.34% to 58.94%).

Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2017), the average change was +0.74 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.59 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.2 percentage points in 2017 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.39 percentage points in 2018. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2018 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.92 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 47% 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 2018, Mali had the 65th highest value of the 66 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 Mali in the 2018 ranking

• Burkina Faso — 62nd of 66: 79.34%
• Bahamas, The — 63rd of 66: 74.39%
• Pakistan — 64th of 66: 68.19%
• Eritrea — 66th of 66: 51.83%

What this measures

Adjusted net enrollment is the number of pupils of the school-age group for primary education, enrolled either in primary or secondary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group.

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 21 values

Adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children) in nearby economies

• Benin — 97.21% (2018)
• Burkina Faso — 79.34% (2018)
• Burundi — 93.42% (2018)
• Cabo Verde — 93.53% (2018)
• Cameroon — 92.87% (2017)
• Chad — 73.47% (2016)
• Comoros — 81.74% (2018)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 93.69% (2018)
• Equatorial Guinea

More education data for Mali

• 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)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.91 (2020)
• Primary education, pupils — 2.97 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 72.8% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 69.37% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 76.15% (2023)
• Primary education, teachers — 59,920 (2023)

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 Mali's adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children)?

58.94% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 41.93 percentage points from 17.01% in 1971. The highest value was 69.27% in 2011 and the lowest 17.01% in 1971.

How does Mali rank?

65th highest of 66 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children) unusual for Mali?

In 2018, Mali's adjusted net enrollment rate, primary (% of primary school age children) fell 8.39 percentage points on 2017 (from 67.34% to 58.94%). Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2017), the average change was +0.74 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.59 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

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

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.