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Percentage of children who complete primary education (2024)

10/237 countries
Global86.3%Year-over-year+0.51%5-year change+3.02%
2000
2024
2024

Rankings at a glance

Top 10 · Percentage of children who complete primary education (2024)

Uruguay leads the world in percentage of children who complete primary education at 99.4% in 2024, followed by Peru (98.99%) and South Africa (97.57%). Colombia (97.24%) and Paraguay (96.81%) close out the top 5. Next up, Kenya (90.78%) and Honduras (88.07%). Lesotho (87.87%), Guatemala (84.97%), and Nigeria (77.37%) round out the top ten. Four of the top ten are in South America. Among these countries, Guatemala saw the largest year-over-year change at -4.3%.

Rank changes

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Frequently asked questions

Which country has the highest percentage of children who complete primary education?
Uruguay has the highest percentage of children who complete primary education at 99.4% as of 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Which country has the lowest percentage of children who complete primary education?
Nigeria has the lowest percentage of children who complete primary education at 77.4% as of 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the global percentage of children who complete primary education?
Weighted by population, the global percentage of children who complete primary education is 86.3% as of 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics · Updated