School age population, one year before than official primary entry age in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: School age population, one year before than official primary entry age was 332,711 number in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
332,711 number
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
70th
of 202 countries
All-time high
388,736 number
in 1987
All-time low
325,407 number
in 2002
Years of data
51
1970–2020

School age population, one year before than official primary entry age in Sri Lanka, 1970–2020

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k197019952020

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2020, school age population, one year before than official primary entry age in Sri Lanka stood at 332,711 number.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 6.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, one year before than official primary entry age in Sri Lanka peaked at 388,736 number in 1987 and was at its lowest, 325,407 number, in 2002.

Sri Lanka ranks 70th of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.

School age population, one year before than official primary entry age in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for School age population, one year before than official primary entry age, both sexes (number) in Sri Lanka, 1970 to 2020.
Year number Change
1970 340,209 number
1971 344,436 number +1.2%
1972 349,666 number +1.5%
1973 354,852 number +1.5%
1974 358,410 number +1.0%
1975 358,569 number +0.0%
1976 358,281 number -0.1%
1977 356,295 number -0.6%
1978 353,900 number -0.7%
1979 352,932 number -0.3%
1980 355,466 number +0.7%
1981 360,904 number +1.5%
1982 368,404 number +2.1%
1983 376,527 number +2.2%
1984 383,247 number +1.8%
1985 386,051 number +0.7%
1986 388,112 number +0.5%
1987 388,736 number +0.2%
1988 387,766 number -0.2%
1989 385,138 number -0.7%
1990 381,011 number -1.1%
1991 374,350 number -1.7%
1992 365,208 number -2.4%
1993 355,148 number -2.8%
1994 346,307 number -2.5%
1995 341,228 number -1.5%
1996 337,561 number -1.1%
1997 335,273 number -0.7%
1998 334,780 number -0.1%
1999 332,358 number -0.7%
2000 326,587 number -1.7%
2001 325,641 number -0.3%
2002 325,407 number -0.1%
2003 326,140 number +0.2%
2004 328,270 number +0.7%
2005 332,331 number +1.2%
2006 339,269 number +2.1%
2007 346,743 number +2.2%
2008 353,402 number +1.9%
2009 357,526 number +1.2%
2010 357,129 number -0.1%
2011 357,036 number -0.0%
2012 355,727 number -0.4%
2013 353,603 number -0.6%
2014 351,268 number -0.7%
2015 349,507 number -0.5%
2016 346,564 number -0.8%
2017 342,954 number -1.0%
2018 339,078 number -1.1%
2019 335,461 number -1.1%
2020 332,711 number -0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 352,755 number 340,209 number 358,569 number 10
1980s 378,035 number 355,466 number 388,736 number 10
1990s 350,322 number 332,358 number 381,011 number 10
2000s 336,132 number 325,407 number 357,526 number 10
2010s 348,833 number 335,461 number 357,129 number 10
2020s 332,711 number 332,711 number 332,711 number 1

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 67 Benin 348,163 number compare
  2. 68 Syrian Arab Republic 344,652 number compare
  3. 69 Rwanda 340,241 number compare
  4. 71 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 332,057 number compare
  5. 72 Australia 330,328 number compare
  6. 73 Ecuador 325,291 number compare

See the full ranking of 247 places →

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, one year before than official primary entry age in Sri Lanka?
School age population, one year before than official primary entry age in Sri Lanka was 332,711 number in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, one year before than official primary entry age recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 388,736 number in 1987.
What is the lowest school age population, one year before than official primary entry age recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 325,407 number in 2002.
How does Sri Lanka rank for school age population, one year before than official primary entry age?
Sri Lanka ranks 70th out of 202 countries with data for 2020.
Is school age population, one year before than official primary entry age rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, one year before than official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, one year before than official primary entry age in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-one-year-before-than-official-primary-entry-age-both-sexes-number/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, one year before than official primary entry age, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
247 places, 12,237 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to one year before the official primary entry age as indicated by theoretical entrance age and duration. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/