World - School enrollment, preprimary (% gross)

The value for School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) in World was 60.99 as of 2020. As the graph below shows, over the past 50 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 60.99 in 2020 and a minimum value of 15.38 in 1972.

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. Preprimary education refers to programs at the initial stage of organized instruction, designed primarily to introduce very young children to a school-type environment and to provide a bridge between home and school.

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

See also:

Year Value
1970 15.85
1971 15.59
1972 15.38
1973 15.41
1974 15.63
1975 16.21
1976 17.94
1977 20.96
1978 19.77
1979 20.00
1980 21.02
1981 22.43
1982 22.84
1983 23.81
1984 24.76
1985 25.83
1986 27.17
1987 28.39
1988 28.99
1989 28.78
1990 28.69
1991 28.70
1992 28.91
1993 29.02
1994 28.91
1995 29.41
1996 29.97
1997 28.30
1998 31.41
1999 32.11
2000 32.94
2001 33.62
2002 33.54
2003 34.41
2004 35.69
2005 37.54
2006 39.55
2007 40.97
2008 42.60
2009 44.19
2010 46.24
2011 49.02
2012 52.13
2013 54.06
2014 54.14
2015 56.11
2016 57.75
2017 59.38
2018 60.18
2019 60.84
2020 60.99

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 pre-primary school is calculated by dividing the number of students enrolled in pre-primary education regardless of age by the population of the age group which officially corresponds to pre-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