OECD members: School enrollment, primary (% net)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, OECD members' school enrollment, primary (% net) fell 0.05 percentage points on 2017 (from 95.64% to 95.6%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2017), the average change was +0 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.35 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 2.25 percentage points in 1980 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.57 percentage points in 2017. 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 2018 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 16% of the movement over 10 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

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 47 values

School enrollment, primary (% net) in nearby economies

• Algeria — 97.64% (2018)
• Bahrain — 96.71% (2018)
• Djibouti — 66.48% (2019)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 97.03% (2018)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 99.7% (2017)
• Israel — 97.02% (2017)
• Jordan — 80.86% (2018)
• Kuwait — 82.63% (2018)
• Malta — 99.54% (2017)
• Morocco — 99.1% (2018)
• Oman — 86.25% (2018)

More education data for OECD members

• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 91.38 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 6.28 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 81.25% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 116.41 million (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers — 8.66 million (2024)
• Persistence to last grade of primary, total (% of cohort) — 94.07% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2020)
• School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

95.6% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 7.4 percentage points from 88.19% in 1970. The highest value was 96.86% in 2008 and the lowest 88.19% in 1970.

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

In 2018, OECD members' school enrollment, primary (% net) fell 0.05 percentage points on 2017 (from 95.64% to 95.6%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2017), the average change was +0 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.35 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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).

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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