Uruguay's educational attainment, at least completed primary, population 25+ years, total (%) (cumulative) was 93.83% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 4.89 percentage points from 88.94% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 93.83% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 91.32% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 88.94% | 2014 |
| Highest | 94.72% | 2000 |
| Lowest | 53.39% | 1975 |
| Average since 2015 | 91.52% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 53.39% | 1975 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Uruguay's educational attainment, at least completed primary, population 25+ years, total (%) (cumulative) rose 1.03 percentage points on 2023 (from 92.8% to 93.83%).
Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2023), the average change was +0.46 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.54 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 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 1.98 percentage points in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.31 percentage points in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.47 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 98% 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.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about 95.02% for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.28%, against 1.08% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
In 2024, Uruguay had the 18th highest value of the 36 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 Uruguay in the 2024 ranking
- Portugal — 14th of 36: 95.55%
- Spain — 15th of 36: 94.37%
- Puerto Rico (US) — 16th of 36: 94.22%
- North Macedonia — 18th of 36: 93.75%
- Saudi Arabia — 19th of 36: 93.27%
- Chile — 20th of 36: 92.54%
What this measures
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed primary education.
Limitations: Caution is required when using this indicator for cross-country comparison, since the countries do not always classify degrees and qualifications at the same International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) levels, even if they are received at roughly the same age or after a similar number of years of schooling. Also, certain educational programmes and study courses cannot be easily classified according to ISCED. This indicator only measures educational attainment in terms of level of education attained, i.e. years of schooling, and does not necessarily reveal the quality of the education (learning achievement and other impacts).
All 23 values
| Year | Educational attainment, at least completed primary, population 25+ years, total (%) (cumulative) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 93.83 |
| 2023 | 92.8 |
| 2022 | 92.9 |
| 2021 | 92.1 |
| 2020 | no data |
| 2019 | 91.32 |
| 2018 | 91.2 |
| 2017 | 90.28 |
| 2016 | 89.87 |
| 2015 | 89.39 |
Educational attainment, at least completed primary, population 25+ years, total (%) (cumulative) in nearby economies
- Bolivia — 70.99% (2024)
- Brazil — 79.57% (2024)
- Chile — 92.54% (2024)
- Colombia — 83.07% (2024)
- Costa Rica — 86.1% (2024)
- Dominican Republic — 78.37% (2024)
- Ecuador — 83.78% (2024)
More education data for Uruguay
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils — 287,527 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 104.53% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 103.96% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 105.08% (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils — 337,808 (2023)
- School enrollment, secondary (% gross) — 119.11% (2023)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Uruguay's educational attainment, at least completed primary, population 25+ years, total (%) (cumulative)?
- 93.83% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.CUAT.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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