World - School enrollment, primary (% gross)

The value for School enrollment, primary (% gross) in World was 101.71 as of 2019. As the graph below shows, over the past 49 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 104.02 in 2013 and a minimum value of 89.05 in 1970.

Definition: Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. 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.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/)

See also:

Year Value
1970 89.05
1971 89.18
1972 90.16
1973 92.91
1974 93.93
1975 95.27
1976 95.88
1977 95.87
1978 94.66
1979 95.21
1980 96.55
1981 97.45
1982 97.93
1983 98.04
1984 98.41
1985 98.80
1986 100.17
1987 99.39
1988 99.96
1989 100.14
1990 99.78
1991 99.10
1992 98.46
1993 98.37
1994 98.27
1995 98.34
1996 97.58
1997 97.05
1998 97.71
1999 97.94
2000 98.78
2001 99.53
2002 99.85
2003 101.37
2004 101.89
2005 102.20
2006 102.29
2007 103.05
2008 103.43
2009 103.31
2010 102.72
2011 103.10
2012 103.78
2013 104.02
2014 102.77
2015 102.42
2016 103.97
2017 103.89
2018 101.51
2019 101.71

Development Relevance: Gross enrollment ratios indicate the capacity of each level of the education system, but a high ratio may reflect a substantial number of overage children enrolled in each grade because of repetition or late entry rather than a successful education system. The net enrollment rate excludes overage and underage students and more accurately captures the system's coverage and internal efficiency. Differences between the gross enrollment ratio and the net enrollment rate show the incidence of overage and underage enrollments.

Limitations and Exceptions: 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.

Other Notes: Data retrieved via API in March 2019. For detailed information on the observation level (e.g. National Estimation, UIS Estimation, or Category not applicable), please visit UIS.Stat (http://data.uis.unesco.org/).

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Gross enrollment ratio for primary school is calculated by dividing the number of students enrolled in primary education regardless of age by the population of the age group which officially corresponds to primary education, and multiplying by 100. Data on education are collected by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics from official responses to its annual education survey. All the data are mapped to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) to ensure the comparability of education programs at the international level. The current version was formally adopted by UNESCO Member States in 2011. Population data are drawn from the United Nations Population Division. Using a single source for population data standardizes definitions, estimations, and interpolation methods, ensuring a consistent methodology across countries and minimizing potential enumeration problems in national censuses. The reference years reflect the school year for which the data are presented. In some countries the school year spans two calendar years (for example, from September 2010 to June 2011); in these cases the reference year refers to the year in which the school year ended (2011 in the example).

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Education Indicators

Sub-Topic: Participation