Sri Lanka: Repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Sri Lanka's repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment) rose 0.14 percentage points on 2016 (from 0.85% to 0.99%).

Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2016), the average change was −0.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.09 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above 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 2.87 percentage points in 1979 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.87 percentage points in 1978. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.02 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 37% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2017, Sri Lanka had the 27th highest value of the 50 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 Sri Lanka in the 2017 ranking

• Hungary — 24th of 50: 1.29%
• Switzerland — 25th of 50: 1.19%
• Poland — 26th of 50: 1.06%
• Denmark — 28th of 50: 0.93%
• Mexico — 29th of 50: 0.85%
• Slovenia — 30th of 50: 0.85%

What this measures

Repeaters in primary school are the number of students enrolled in the same grade as in the previous year, as a percentage of all students enrolled in primary school.

Limitations: Country policies on repetition and promotion differ. In some cases the number of repeaters is controlled because of limited capacity. In other cases the number of repeaters is almost 0 because of automatic promotion – suggesting a system that is highly efficient but that may not be endowing students with enough cognitive skills.

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

All 36 values

Repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 4.14% (2018)
• Bhutan — 7.3% (2018)
• India — 0.6% (2018)
• Maldives — 0.07% (2017)
• Nepal — 7.6% (2019)

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Sri Lanka's repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment)?

0.99% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 21.21 percentage points from 22.21% in 1970. The highest value was 22.21% in 1970 and the lowest 0.71% in 2011.

How does Sri Lanka rank?

27th highest of 50 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment) unusual for Sri Lanka?

In 2017, Sri Lanka's repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment) rose 0.14 percentage points on 2016 (from 0.85% to 0.99%). Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2016), the average change was −0.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.09 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.REPT.ZS, 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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