Sri Lanka's children out of school, female (% of female primary school age) was 8.59% in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 1.53 percentage points from 7.06% in 2013.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 8.59% | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 4.77% | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 7.06% | 2013 |
| Highest | 8.98% | 2009 |
| Lowest | 2.97% | 2001 |
| Average since 2014 | 5.69% | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 2.97% | 2001 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Sri Lanka's children out of school, female (% of female primary school age) rose 1.76 percentage points on 2022 (from 6.82% to 8.59%).
Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2022), the average change was +0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.28 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above 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 3.15 percentage points in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.3 percentage points in 2015. 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 2023, Sri Lanka had the 8th highest value of the 29 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | 8.59% | 2023 |
| Upper middle income | 3.7% | 2025 |
Closest to Sri Lanka in the 2023 ranking
- Romania — 5th of 29: 15.74%
- Albania — 6th of 29: 13.83%
- West Bank and Gaza — 7th of 29: 9.9%
- Nicaragua — 9th of 29: 6.5%
- South Africa — 10th of 29: 5.95%
- Dominica — 11th of 29: 5.95%
What this measures
Children out of school are the percentage of primary-school-age children who are not enrolled in primary or secondary school. Children in the official primary age group that are in preprimary education should be considered out of school.
Limitations: The administrative data used in the calculation of the rate of out-of-school children are based on enrolment at a specific date which can bias the results by either counting enrolled children who never attend school or by omitting those who enroll after the reference date for reporting enrolment data. Furthermore, children who drop out of school after the reference date are not counted as out of school. Discrepancies between enrolment and population data from different sources can also result in over- or underestimates of the rate.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 20 values
| Year | Children out of school, female (% of female primary school age) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 8.59 |
| 2022 | 6.82 |
| 2021 | no data |
| 2020 | no data |
| 2019 | no data |
| 2018 | 4.77 |
| 2017 | 4.42 |
| 2016 | 4.25 |
| 2015 | 4.35 |
| 2014 | 6.64 |
| 2013 |
Children out of school, female (% of female primary school age) in nearby economies
- Bangladesh — 2.39% (2018)
- Bhutan — 6.61% (2024)
- India — 1.62% (2023)
More education data for Sri Lanka
- 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) — 8 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils — 1.58 million (2023)
- School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 91.45% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 92.09% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 90.84% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2020)
- Secondary education, general pupils
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Sri Lanka's children out of school, female (% of female primary school age)?
- 8.59% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2001?
- It is up 5.62 percentage points from 2.97% in 2001. The highest value was 8.98% in 2009 and the lowest 2.97% in 2001.
- How does Sri Lanka rank?
- 8th highest of 29 economies with data for 2023.
- Is the latest change in children out of school, female (% of female primary school age) unusual for Sri Lanka?
- In 2023, Sri Lanka's children out of school, female (% of female primary school age) rose 1.76 percentage points on 2022 (from 6.82% to 8.59%). Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2022), the average change was +0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.28 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above 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.UNER.FE.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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