UIS: Percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of education is primary, both sexes by country
The percentage of population (age 25 and over) with completed primary (ISCED 1) as the highest level of educational attainment. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of persons aged 25 years and above with completed primary education as the highest level of educational attainment by the total...
What the numbers show
UIS: Percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of education is primary, both sexes is currently reported for 74 countries. The highest value is 37.2% in Portugal; the lowest is 0.0% in Czechia.
The median across all reporting countries is 12.9%, and the mean is 13.7%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 1,072.
Over the past decade 14 countries rose and 59 fell. The largest increase was in Denmark (up 902.1%), and the largest decrease in Puerto Rico (down 85.2%).
UIS: Percentage of population age 25+ whose highest level of: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal | 37.2% | 2018 | down 23.6% | falling |
| 2 | Argentina | 35.5% | 2018 | down 11.5% | rising |
| 3 | Uruguay | 34.4% | 2018 | down 0.0% | rising |
| 4 | Trinidad and Tobago | 30.6% | 2011 | — | falling |
| 5 | Palestine | 30.3% | 2018 | down 21.3% | falling |
| 6 | Iran | 30.2% | 2016 | down 3.1% | falling |
| 7 | Ecuador | 30.0% | 2017 | down 4.3% | falling |
| 8 | Turkey | 28.4% | 2017 | down 40.6% | falling |
| 9 | Honduras | 28.2% | 2018 | up 10.1% | rising |
| 10 | Indonesia | 27.5% | 2018 | down 9.7% | rising |
| 11 | Costa Rica | 27.4% | 2018 | down 6.3% | rising |
| 12 | Greece | 26.7% | 2016 | down 20.6% | falling |
| 13 | Paraguay | 25.5% | 2018 | down 9.6% | rising |
| 14 | Guatemala | 25.0% | 2014 | up 77.1% | rising |
| 15 | Philippines | 24.6% | 2017 | down 22.4% | flat |
| 16 | Colombia | 24.5% | 2018 | down 14.1% | flat |
| 17 | Andorra | 24.2% | 2016 | down 43.2% | falling |
| 18 | Thailand | 20.5% | 2018 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 19 | Brazil | 20.3% | 2018 | down 18.1% | rising |
| 20 | Qatar | 19.8% | 2017 | up 92.9% | rising |
| 21 | Malaysia | 19.7% | 2016 | down 45.0% | rising |
| 22 | Mexico | 19.5% | 2018 | down 1.8% | rising |
| 23 | Venezuela | 18.3% | 2016 | down 35.1% | falling |
| 24 | Peru | 17.8% | 2018 | down 8.2% | rising |
| 25 | Italy | 16.8% | 2015 | down 28.4% | falling |
| 26 | Malta | 16.8% | 2018 | down 51.0% | falling |
| 27 | Sri Lanka | 16.5% | 2018 | down 20.7% | falling |
| 28 | Macao | 16.5% | 2016 | down 26.9% | falling |
| 29 | Bangladesh | 16.4% | 2019 | up 20.5% | falling |
| 30 | Hong Kong | 16.3% | 2017 | down 25.6% | falling |
| 31 | El Salvador | 15.8% | 2017 | up 5.3% | flat |
| 32 | Spain | 14.2% | 2018 | down 34.8% | falling |
| 33 | Poland | 13.9% | 2016 | down 29.6% | falling |
| 34 | Cyprus | 13.8% | 2018 | down 25.5% | falling |
| 35 | South Africa | 13.5% | 2017 | up 99.6% | flat |
| 36 | Bolivia | 13.4% | 2015 | up 268.2% | rising |
| 37 | France | 13.3% | 2017 | down 40.1% | falling |
| 38 | Pakistan | 12.4% | 2017 | down 8.0% | rising |
| 39 | Canada | 11.4% | 1991 | up 21.0% | falling |
| 40 | Fiji | 11.2% | 2017 | down 47.9% | falling |
| 41 | Cambodia | 10.2% | 2015 | down 46.2% | falling |
| 42 | South Korea | 9.8% | 2015 | down 22.3% | falling |
| 43 | Belgium | 9.4% | 2017 | down 40.3% | volatile |
| 44 | Sweden | 8.8% | 2017 | down 7.4% | rising |
| 45 | Romania | 8.3% | 2017 | down 31.5% | falling |
| 46 | Netherlands | 8.0% | 2018 | down 8.9% | falling |
| 47 | Chile | 7.9% | 2017 | down 39.3% | falling |
| 48 | Serbia | 7.9% | 2017 | down 29.6% | falling |
| 49 | Bahrain | 7.1% | 2018 | down 47.1% | rising |
| 50 | Singapore | 6.5% | 2018 | up 51.5% | falling |
| 51 | Israel | 6.4% | 2015 | down 61.8% | falling |
| 52 | Australia | 6.1% | 2018 | down 20.9% | falling |
| 53 | Denmark | 6.0% | 2018 | up 902.1% | volatile |
| 54 | Mali | 5.6% | 2018 | down 32.8% | rising |
| 55 | Kuwait | 5.4% | 2018 | down 18.7% | falling |
| 56 | Bulgaria | 4.6% | 2017 | down 42.5% | volatile |
| 57 | Dominican Republic | 4.1% | 2016 | down 68.0% | rising |
| 58 | Cayman Islands | 3.7% | 2015 | down 75.0% | volatile |
| 59 | Germany | 3.7% | 2018 | up 12.5% | rising |
| 60 | Lithuania | 3.5% | 2017 | down 62.2% | falling |
| 61 | United States | 3.0% | 2018 | down 28.4% | volatile |
| 62 | Azerbaijan | 3.0% | 2017 | down 32.9% | falling |
| 63 | Puerto Rico | 2.9% | 2017 | down 85.2% | volatile |
| 64 | Switzerland | 2.6% | 2018 | down 36.8% | falling |
| 65 | Hungary | 2.4% | 2016 | down 70.7% | volatile |
| 66 | Moldova | 2.2% | 2018 | down 65.8% | falling |
| 67 | Slovenia | 2.0% | 2017 | down 50.1% | falling |
| 68 | Georgia | 1.8% | 2017 | down 75.0% | volatile |
| 69 | Latvia | 0.8% | 2016 | down 56.4% | volatile |
| 70 | Slovakia | 0.5% | 2017 | up 15.2% | volatile |
| 71 | Kazakhstan | 0.5% | 2018 | down 24.9% | volatile |
| 72 | Norway | 0.4% | 2017 | up 137.8% | rising |
| 73 | Uzbekistan | 0.1% | 2018 | down 20.0% | falling |
| 74 | Czechia | 0.0% | 2016 | down 65.6% | falling |
About this data
The percentage of population (age 25 and over) with completed primary (ISCED 1) as the highest level of educational attainment. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of persons aged 25 years and above with completed primary education as the highest level of educational attainment by the total population of the same age group and multiplying the result by 100. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) educational attainment dataset shows the educational composition of the population aged 25 years and above and hence the stock and quality of human capital within a country. The dataset also reflects the structure and performance of the education system and its accumulated impact on human capital formation. For more information, visit the UNESCO Institute for Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/