UIS · Participation in Organised Learning One Year Before Primary
Early learning participation by country
What share of children are in organised learning in the year before primary school starts?
United Arab Emirates placed first of the 112 countries compared in 2024, at 100.00%, and South Sudan last, at 9.45%. In the middle country the figure was 85.90%.
Share
Part ofEducation & Knowledge
Early learning participation · 2024
Key statistic · Education & Knowledge
Highest of 112United Arab Emirates
100.00%012024 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 112 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
3Photo: Ralf Lotys (Sicherlich) · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2024
- 112
South Sudan9.45% - 111
Burkina Faso16.03% - 110
Chad18.34%
Positions out of 112. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
02Every measured country
Early learning participation on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 9.45–62.82%
- 64.35–81.06%
- 81.40–89.02%
- 89.52–97.06%
- 97.07–100.00%
- No reading in 2024 (84 measured in an earlier edition)
- Europe
97.51%
the middle country, of 23 measured · 49 members
Poland99.86%
Ukraine76.65%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
86.53%
the middle country, of 23 measured · 48 members
Peru99.80%
Bahamas47.25%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
83.35%
the middle country, of 13 measured · 21 members
Tuvalu94.94%
Samoa29.81%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Asia
81.57%
the middle country, of 31 measured · 52 members
United Arab Emirates100.00%
Armenia31.98%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Africa
57.77%
the middle country, of 22 measured · 55 members
Namibia92.80%South Sudan9.45%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
21 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
98.27%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 9 members
France99.76%
Monaco92.39%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
97.51%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 13 members
Lithuania99.56%
Estonia92.50%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
94.80%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 10 members
Poland99.86%Ukraine76.65%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Caribbean
91.24%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 24 members
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines98.04%Bahamas47.25%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- South America
87.70%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 12 members
Peru99.80%
Paraguay74.97%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Central America
84.22%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica99.69%
Honduras59.12%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Polynesia
83.20%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 7 members
Tuvalu94.94%Samoa29.81%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Western Asia
82.28%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 19 members
United Arab Emirates100.00%Armenia31.98%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
77.29%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 11 members
Thailand96.66%
Laos67.06%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Eastern Africa
64.25%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 19 members
Mauritius92.10%South Sudan9.45%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Western Africa
23.01%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 16 members
Sierra Leone62.82%Burkina Faso16.03%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia94.89%
New Zealand85.73%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Central Asia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Kyrgyzstan86.20%
Turkmenistan35.38%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Eastern Asia
4 of 8 measured — too few for a middle: Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, South Korea.
Hong Kong99.20%
Macau88.18%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Melanesia
3 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Fiji89.52%
Solomon Islands53.64%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Micronesia
3 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru.
Nauru93.45%
Micronesia54.75%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Middle Africa
2 of 9 measured — too few for a middle: Cameroon, Chad.
Cameroon41.03%Chad18.34%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Northern Africa
3 of 6 measured — too few for a middle: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco.
Morocco87.54%
Egypt37.85%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Southern Africa
1 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Namibia.
Namibia92.80%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Southern Asia
4 of 9 measured — too few for a middle: Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan.
Bangladesh88.40%
Pakistan50.91%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Southern Europe
4 of 17 measured — too few for a middle: Andorra, Gibraltar, San Marino, Spain.
Spain98.58%
Gibraltar87.41%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
03The whole field at once
The spread
112 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 85.90%; a quarter are above 95.29%, and a quarter below 69.99%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 196 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. It measures a single year of age, the year before school, and counts a child already in primary school as well as one in pre-primary — so it can read higher than the pre-primary enrolment rate for the same country. Being enrolled says nothing about the quality of what a child is offered there.
Showing 25 of 196 countries
Values for 2024. The change column compares 2024 with 2023 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051999–2024 · 26 editions
Over time
Each point is one edition from 1999. Female and male rates are stored beside the headline figure.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 112 | 85.90% | 69.99% – 95.29% |
| 2023 | 137 | 87.61% | 68.86% – 95.58% |
| 2022 | 136 | 87.69% | 67.10% – 96.88% |
| 2021 | 138 | 86.96% | 65.69% – 95.84% |
| 2020 | 136 | 88.32% | 68.21% – 96.58% |
| 2019 | 132 | 88.76% | 67.29% – 97.07% |
| 2018 | 128 | 89.60% | 66.29% – 97.22% |
| 2017 | 123 | 87.36% | 60.86% – 97.29% |
| 2016 | 130 | 87.91% | 63.31% – 96.97% |
| 2015 | 123 | 88.23% | 61.56% – 96.95% |
| 2014 | 122 | 89.17% | 61.61% – 96.55% |
| 2013 | 114 | 88.00% | 58.75% – 96.13% |
| 2012 | 108 | 85.43% | 56.00% – 96.31% |
| 2011 | 111 | 86.19% | 55.47% – 96.37% |
| 2010 | 105 | 86.08% | 49.93% – 95.45% |
| 2009 | 98 | 84.79% | 51.87% – 94.69% |
| 2008 | 95 | 85.81% | 56.87% – 95.35% |
| 2007 | 90 | 86.72% | 61.66% – 95.51% |
| 2006 | 90 | 84.03% | 58.21% – 95.87% |
| 2005 | 93 | 82.21% | 51.19% – 93.14% |
| 2004 | 84 | 81.77% | 50.79% – 94.23% |
| 2003 | 82 | 78.33% | 48.41% – 94.50% |
| 2002 | 80 | 79.97% | 65.35% – 95.82% |
| 2001 | 79 | 80.76% | 57.71% – 92.66% |
| 2000 | 62 | 66.32% | 37.08% – 79.50% |
| 1999 | 53 | 57.53% | 28.20% – 73.78% |
062023 → 2024
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Trinidad and Tobago33.46% → 96.69% · 128th → 25th+63.23- Pakistan11.03% → 50.91% · 137th → 97th+39.88
Belize53.15% → 76.52% · 118th → 79th+23.38
Niue69.00% → 83.20% · 102nd → 63rd+14.20
Cambodia60.64% → 72.15% · 114th → 83rd+11.51
Declined most
before → after
Curaçao97.36% → 77.65% · 29th → 74th−19.71
Cook Islands99.97% → 83.35% · 2nd → 62nd−16.62
Maldives94.09% → 81.40% · 49th → 66th−12.68
Azerbaijan95.58% → 83.49% · 35th → 61st−12.09
Seychelles94.97% → 86.08% · 42nd → 56th−8.89
99 countries were measured in both 2023 and 2024. The field changed from 137 to 112 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
Early learning participation in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
Reached 4 times by 4 countries — shared, so no holder is named
100.00%
Children one year before primary entry age in organised learning (%)
Lowest reading on record
1.61%
Children one year before primary entry age in organised learning (%)
Biggest improvement between editions
+63.23
33.46% → 96.69%
Biggest decline between editions
−63.18
99.64% → 36.45%
Most improved since first measured
+79.87
3.33% → 83.20%
At the top most often
5 of 26
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08By sex
Inside the number
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) also publishes separate female and male readings. The gap between them, where both exist.
Of the 106 countries with both readings, the female reading is higher in 69, the male reading in 36, and they are equal in 1. The widest gaps each way:
09The measure
About early learning participation
This is the share of children already in organised learning — pre-primary or primary school — one year before the age at which their country starts primary school. It is SDG indicator 4.2.2, the world's yardstick for whether children get a start in learning before formal schooling begins.
What the number is: Children one year before primary entry age in organised learning (%).
What it does not measure
It counts whether a child is enrolled in the year before primary school, not how many hours they attend or how good the programme is, and it says nothing about the years of early childhood before that one.
10Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
A key statistic for Education & Knowledge
“Whether children take part in organised learning in the year before primary school — whether an education system reaches them before it starts.”
- Edition used
- 2024 (data 2024)
- Countries
- 187
- Licence
- CC BY-SA 4.0
Moves with
Where early learning participation is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Pre-Primary Net Enrolment RateUIS · 110 countries in commonρ 0.80
- Frontier Technology Readiness IndexUNCTAD · 91 countries in commonρ 0.75
- Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 89 countries in commonρ 0.75
Moves against
Where early learning participation is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 91 countries in commonρ −0.74
- Stillbirth RateUN IGME · 106 countries in commonρ −0.70
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 82 countries in commonρ −0.69
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 259 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
11Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
12Questions
Early learning participation: questions and answers
Which country has the highest early learning participation?
United Arab Emirates, at 100.00%, among the 112 countries compared in 2024.
Which country has the lowest early learning participation?
South Sudan, at 9.45%, among the 112 countries compared in 2024.
How many countries does the Participation in Organised Learning One Year Before Primary cover?
112 in 2024, and 196 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 53 to 138 between editions.
What is the world average early learning participation?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 112 compared in 2024, the figure was 85.90%.
Is this UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)’s own ranking?
No. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Participation in Organised Learning One Year Before Primary published?
This site holds 26 editions, describing 1999 to 2024.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (NERA.AGM1.CP). Editions reporting fewer than 50 countries are not written, which drops 1998 and the 2025 stub. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
13Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Participation in Organised Learning One Year Before Primary — UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
From the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (NERA.AGM1.CP). Editions reporting fewer than 50 countries are not written, which drops 1998 and the 2025 stub.
Newest edition
Report year 2024Data year 2024
Cite the source as: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. UIS Data Browser. Montreal: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-10-03.
How this page reads the numbers
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- United Arab Emirates — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cyprus — Kaktus999, CC0
- Poland — Ralf Lotys (Sicherlich), CC BY 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Early learning participation by country: Participation in Organised Learning One Year Before Primary, data from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/early-learning-participation