Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Least developed countries

Least developed countries: Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education was 25.2% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
25.2%
Change on year
down 0.7%
Rank
9th
of 40 groups
All-time high
31.6%
in 2009
All-time low
24.8%
in 1997
Years of data
23
1997–2019

Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Least developed countries, 1997–2019

01020301997200820191997: 24.8 %1998: 24.8 %1999: 25.2 %2000: 26.6 %2001: 24.8 %2002: 26.1 %2003: 26.8 %2004: 27.5 %2005: 27.8 %2006: 29.7 %2007: 30.4 %2008: 31.1 %2009: 31.6 %2010: 30.9 %2011: 30.6 %2012: 29.1 %2013: 28.1 %2014: 27.3 %2015: 27.2 %2016: 26.9 %2017: 26.1 %2018: 25.4 %2019: 25.2 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Least developed countries stood at 25.2%.

That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 20.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Least developed countries peaked at 31.6% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 24.8%, in 1997.

That places Least developed countries 9th out of 40 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Least developed countries, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, both sexes (%) in Least developed countries, 1997 to 2019.
Year % Change
1997 24.8%
1998 24.8% +0.1%
1999 25.2% +1.6%
2000 26.6% +5.5%
2001 24.8% -6.7%
2002 26.1% +5.0%
2003 26.8% +2.9%
2004 27.5% +2.5%
2005 27.8% +1.0%
2006 29.7% +7.1%
2007 30.4% +2.3%
2008 31.1% +2.3%
2009 31.6% +1.5%
2010 30.9% -2.1%
2011 30.6% -1.1%
2012 29.1% -4.9%
2013 28.1% -3.5%
2014 27.3% -2.6%
2015 27.2% -0.4%
2016 26.9% -1.3%
2017 26.1% -3.0%
2018 25.4% -2.8%
2019 25.2% -0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 25.0% 24.8% 25.2% 3
2000s 28.3% 24.8% 31.6% 10
2010s 27.7% 25.2% 30.9% 10

Countries ranked near Least developed countries

  1. 6 Burundi 51.8% compare
  2. 7 Lesotho 50.1% compare
  3. 8 Equatorial Guinea 48.7% compare
  4. 9 Namibia 48.3% compare
  5. 10 Uganda 47.9% compare
  6. 11 Eritrea 47.8% compare
  7. 12 Nicaragua 47.4% compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More reference data data for Least developed countries

All data for Least developed countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Least developed countries?
Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Least developed countries was 25.2% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education recorded in Least developed countries?
The highest recorded value was 31.6% in 2009.
What is the lowest percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education recorded in Least developed countries?
The lowest recorded value was 24.8% in 1997.
How does Least developed countries rank for percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education?
Least developed countries ranks 9th out of 40 groups with data for 2019.
Is percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education rising or falling in Least developed countries?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Least developed countries data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Least developed countries. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-pupils-enrolled-in-lower-secondary-general-education-who-are-at-least-2/least-developed-countries-un-classification/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
196 places, 2,304 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of pupils in each level of education (primary and lower secondary general education) who are at least 2 years above the intended age for their grade. The intended age for a given grade is the age at which pupils would enter the grade if they had started school at the official primary entrance age, had studied full-time and had progressed without repeating or skipping a grade. The value is calculated as the sum of enrolments across all grades in the given level of education which are 2 or more years older than the intended age for the given grade is expressed as a percentage of the total enrolment in the given level of education. A low value of this indicator will show that the majority of students start school on time and progress with minimum levels of grade repetition. Late school entry and significant grade repetition exacerbate over-age progression and should be discouraged as both are associated with lower levels of student learning achievement. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/