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

Key figures

Over five years it is up 0.72 percentage points from 98.65% in 2019. Since 1979 it is up 35.82 percentage points from 63.55% in 1979. The World Bank has no value for 32 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 23.2 percentage points in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 30.67 percentage points in 2013. 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 2024, Saudi Arabia had the 24th highest value of the 95 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 Saudi Arabia in the 2024 ranking

• Sweden — 21st of 95: 99.84%
• Denmark — 22nd of 95: 99.71%
• Brunei Darussalam — 23rd of 95: 99.38%
• Sierra Leone — 25th of 95: 99.2%
• Chile — 26th of 95: 99.14%
• Norway — 27th of 95: 98.71%

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 14 values

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

• Afghanistan — 90.31% (2023)
• Algeria — 98.24% (2025)
• Bahrain — 94.11% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 98.21% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 97.44% (2023)
• Israel — 96.97% (2024)
• Jordan — 97.05% (2024)
• Kuwait — 80.43% (2021)
• Lebanon — 67.27% (2023)

More education data for Saudi Arabia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 83.88% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.01 (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, female (% gross) — 84.15% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, male (% gross) — 83.65% (2024)
• Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) — 48.05% (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

99.36% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1979?

It is up 35.82 percentage points from 63.55% in 1979. The highest value was 128.3% in 2012 and the lowest 63.55% in 1979.

How does Saudi Arabia rank?

24th highest of 95 economies with data for 2024.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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..

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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