United Arab Emirates: Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, United Arab Emirates' over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) rose 0.23 percentage points on 2016 (from 4.25% to 4.48%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2016), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.92 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 3.47 percentage points in 1987 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.71 percentage points in 1983. 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 2017 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.27 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 62% of the movement over 9 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, United Arab Emirates had the 29th highest value of the 65 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 United Arab Emirates in the 2017 ranking

• British Virgin Islands — 26th of 65: 4.86%
• Belgium — 27th of 65: 4.81%
• Italy — 28th of 65: 4.63%
• Australia — 30th of 65: 3.79%
• Luxembourg — 31st of 65: 3.55%
• Estonia — 32nd of 65: 3.44%

What this measures

Over-age students are the percentage of those enrolled who are older than the official school-age range for primary education.

All 38 values

Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) in nearby economies

• Algeria — 6.57% (2018)
• Bahrain — 2.67% (2018)
• Djibouti — 11.29% (2019)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 2.55% (2018)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 7.66% (2017)
• Israel — 2.8% (2017)
• Jordan — 0.7% (2018)
• Kuwait — 2.58% (2018)
• Lebanon — 6.73% (2018)
• Malta — 0.86% (2017)

More education data for United Arab Emirates

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 4 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 10 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 8 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils (% female) — 49.03% (2017)
• Pupil-teacher ratio, primary — 24.52 (2016)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 94.21% (2020)
• Primary education, pupils — 586,477 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 108.04% (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is United Arab Emirates's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)?

4.48% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1978?

It is down 11.38 percentage points from 15.86% in 1978. The highest value was 15.86% in 1978 and the lowest 2.77% in 2009.

How does United Arab Emirates rank?

29th highest of 65 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) unusual for United Arab Emirates?

In 2017, United Arab Emirates' over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) rose 0.23 percentage points on 2016 (from 4.25% to 4.48%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2016), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.92 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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.OENR.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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