Poland: Persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Poland's persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort) fell 0.06 percentage points on 2017 (from 99.64% to 99.57%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2017), the average change was +0.28 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.68 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 8.76 percentage points in 1998 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.14 percentage points in 1994. 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 5% 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.

Closest to Poland in the 2018 ranking

• Eswatini — 2nd of 8: 97.35%
• Timor-Leste — 3rd of 8: 93.27%
• Solomon Islands — 4th of 8: 82.38%

What this measures

Persistence to grade 5 (percentage of cohort reaching grade 5) is the share of children enrolled in the first grade of primary school who eventually reach grade 5. The estimate is based on the reconstructed cohort method.

Limitations: The estimates have limitations in capturing real trend in that an observed rate will be applied to the underlying indicators such as repetition rate and promotion rate throughout the cohort life, and re-entrants, grade skipping, migration or transfers during a school year are not adequately captured.

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

All 46 values

Persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort) in nearby economies

• Albania — 86.65% (2023)
• Andorra — 98.49% (2020)
• Belgium — 99.23% (2022)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 95.72% (2022)
• Cyprus — 98.07% (2021)
• Czechia — 99.5% (2021)
• Denmark — 99.74% (2023)
• Estonia — 99.47% (2023)
• Finland — 99.62% (2023)
• Georgia — 97.77% (2023)

More education data for Poland

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 4 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 8 (2025)
• Secondary education, pupils — 3.33 million (2024)
• Primary education, pupils — 1.6 million (2024)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 93.87% (2020)
• Persistence to last grade of primary, total (% of cohort) — 99.79% (2023)
• Repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment) — 1.06% (2017)
• Secondary education, general pupils

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Poland's persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort)?

99.57% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 2.73 percentage points from 96.84% in 1971. The highest value was 100% in 1992 and the lowest 91.24% in 1997.

Is the latest change in persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort) unusual for Poland?

In 2018, Poland's persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort) fell 0.06 percentage points on 2017 (from 99.64% to 99.57%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2017), the average change was +0.28 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.68 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?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.PRS5.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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