United Arab Emirates: School enrollment, primary (% net)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, United Arab Emirates' school enrollment, primary (% net) rose 0.48 percentage points on 2016 (from 94.55% to 95.03%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2016), the average change was +0.51 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.87 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 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 10.98 percentage points in 1987 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.57 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.

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 36th highest value of the 63 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

• Mexico — 33rd of 63: 95.3%
• Russian Federation — 34th of 63: 95.1%
• Luxembourg — 35th of 63: 95.03%
• North Macedonia — 37th of 63: 94.89%
• Chile — 38th of 63: 94.74%
• Kiribati — 39th of 63: 94.69%

What this measures

Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official school age who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age. Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art, and music.

Limitations: Enrollment indicators are based on annual school surveys, but do not necessarily reflect actual attendance or dropout rates during the year. Also, the length of education differs across countries and can influence enrollment rates, although the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) tries to minimize the difference. For example, a shorter duration for primary education tends to increase the rate; a longer one to decrease it (in part because older children are more at risk of dropping out). Moreover, age at enrollment may be inaccurately estimated or misstated, especially in communities where registration of births is not strictly enforced.

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

All 27 values

School enrollment, primary (% net) in nearby economies

• Algeria — 97.64% (2018)
• Bahrain — 96.71% (2018)
• Djibouti — 66.48% (2019)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 97.03% (2018)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 99.7% (2017)
• Israel — 97.02% (2017)
• Jordan — 80.86% (2018)
• Kuwait — 82.63% (2018)
• Malta — 99.54% (2017)
• Morocco — 99.1% (2018)
• Oman — 86.25% (2018)

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 school enrollment, primary (% net)?

95.03% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1978?

It is up 15.34 percentage points from 79.68% in 1978. The highest value was 97.43% in 1991 and the lowest 73.12% in 1985.

How does United Arab Emirates rank?

36th highest of 63 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in school enrollment, primary (% net) unusual for United Arab Emirates?

In 2017, United Arab Emirates' school enrollment, primary (% net) rose 0.48 percentage points on 2016 (from 94.55% to 95.03%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2016), the average change was +0.51 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.87 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below 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.NENR, 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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