Nepal: Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)

Key figures

Since 1988 it is up 64.06 percentage points from 45.38% in 1988. 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 2025, Nepal's primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) fell 2.79 percentage points on 2024 (from 112.23% to 109.44%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2024), the average change was +2.38 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.5 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 15.47 percentage points in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.75 percentage points in 2024. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 17% of the movement over 8 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.

How it compares

In 2025, Nepal had the 1st highest value of the 11 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 Nepal in the 2025 ranking

• Thailand — 2nd of 11: 107.07%
• Algeria — 3rd of 11: 98.24%
• Kazakhstan — 4th of 11: 98.09%

What this measures

Primary completion rate, or gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, is the number of new entrants (enrollments minus repeaters) in the last grade of primary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education. Data limitations preclude adjusting for students who drop out during the final year of primary education.

Limitations: The data do not account for students who drop out during the final year of primary education. Therefore, this rate serves as a proxy and should be considered an upper estimate of the actual primary completion rate. There are many reasons why the primary completion rate can exceed 100 percent. The numerator may include late entrants and overage children who have repeated one or more grades of primary education as well as children who entered school early, while the denominator is the number of children at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education.

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

All 24 values

Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 94.3% (2024)
• Bhutan — 86.54% (2024)
• India — 90.26% (2025)
• Maldives — 93.76% (2024)
• Sri Lanka — 94.54% (2023)

More education data for Nepal

• Primary education, pupils — 3.57 million (2025)
• Primary education, teachers — 157,456 (2025)
• Secondary education, pupils — 3.67 million (2024)
• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 10 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils (% female) — 50.61% (2019)
• Pupil-teacher ratio, primary — 19.74 (2019)
• Secondary education, teachers — 124,257 (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Nepal's primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)?

109.44% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1988?

It is up 64.06 percentage points from 45.38% in 1988. The highest value was 118.47% in 2019 and the lowest 45.38% in 1988.

How does Nepal rank?

1st highest of 11 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) unusual for Nepal?

In 2025, Nepal's primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) fell 2.79 percentage points on 2024 (from 112.23% to 109.44%). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2024), the average change was +2.38 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.5 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

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