Namibia: School enrollment, primary (% net)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Namibia's school enrollment, primary (% net) rose 0.15 percentage points on 2017 (from 97.34% to 97.49%).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2017), the average change was +0.64 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.15 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 2.23 percentage points in 2002 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.15 percentage points in 2004. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those 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, Namibia had the 7th highest value of the 68 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 Namibia in the 2018 ranking

• Cuba — 4th of 68: 97.74%
• Mongolia — 5th of 68: 97.7%
• Algeria — 6th of 68: 97.64%
• Costa Rica — 8th of 68: 97.33%
• Benin — 9th of 68: 97.21%
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 10th of 68: 97.03%

What this measures

Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official school age who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age. Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art, and music.

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 24 values

School enrollment, primary (% net) in nearby economies

• Benin — 97.21% (2018)
• Burkina Faso — 78.65% (2018)
• Burundi — 92.8% (2018)
• Cabo Verde — 93.42% (2018)
• Cameroon — 92.87% (2017)
• Chad — 73.15% (2016)
• Comoros — 80.75% (2018)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 90.33% (2018)
• Equatorial Guinea — 43.48% (2015)
• Eritrea — 51.46% (2018)
• Eswatini

More education data for Namibia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 14 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Over-age students, primary, female (% of female enrollment) — 13% (2018)
• Over-age students, primary, male (% of male enrollment) — 18.31% (2018)
• Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) — 15.7% (2018)
• Primary education, pupils — 590,029 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 120.72% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Namibia's school enrollment, primary (% net)?

97.49% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1989?

It is up 20.15 percentage points from 77.34% in 1989. The highest value was 97.49% in 2018 and the lowest 77.34% in 1989.

How does Namibia rank?

7th highest of 68 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in school enrollment, primary (% net) unusual for Namibia?

In 2018, Namibia's school enrollment, primary (% net) rose 0.15 percentage points on 2017 (from 97.34% to 97.49%). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2017), the average change was +0.64 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.15 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below 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.NENR, 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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