Sri Lanka - School enrollment, primary (% gross)

The value for School enrollment, primary (% gross) in Sri Lanka was 100.23 as of 2019. As the graph below shows, over the past 49 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 123.22 in 1986 and a minimum value of 81.90 in 1976.

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 101.31
1971 103.14
1972 93.41
1973 90.80
1974 85.55
1975 82.59
1976 81.90
1977 86.77
1978 110.10
1979 114.03
1980 119.18
1981 122.21
1982 122.13
1983 121.29
1984 120.97
1985 121.70
1986 123.22
1987 107.56
1988 108.99
1989 110.05
1990 109.85
1991 109.90
1992 107.91
1993 107.11
1994 106.67
1995 109.45
1996 105.06
1998 106.99
2001 107.79
2002 106.05
2003 102.78
2004 97.65
2005 99.57
2006 98.90
2007 98.29
2008 97.28
2009 94.91
2010 99.50
2011 99.52
2012 99.95
2013 100.64
2014 101.36
2015 101.66
2016 101.47
2017 100.63
2018 100.16
2019 100.23

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