Ranking · 137 countries · 2017
School enrollment, primary (% net) by country (2017)
Norway had the highest school enrollment, primary (% net) in 2017, at 99.9%, followed by Canada (99.9%) and Iceland (99.8%). The ranking compares 137 countries on 2017 figures from the World Bank. Liberia ranked last of the 137, at 44.3%.
How this ranking is built. Indicator: School enrollment, primary (% net) · Industry: Education · Period: 2017. Only verified actual figures for that one period are ranked, so every row is comparable; forecasts are not ranked, and world or regional totals are shown as reference, not ranked. 57 other countries have data only for other periods and are omitted.
Visualised
Ranked chart
School enrollment, primary (% net) by country
2017 · 12 highest of 137 countries
World map
2017 · %. Grey means no observation on this map. Small territories remain in the table.
Sources: the same published records as the ranking. Geometry: Natural Earth, public domain. Download SVG.
The table
Country ranking
Rank · country · value · change on the same period a year earlier · source. Values in %.
Ranks 1–50 of 137 countries. Page 1 of 3.
| # | Country | Value | YoY | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway NO | 99.9% | +0.1% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 2 | Canada CA | 99.9% | -0.1% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 3 | Iceland IS | 99.8% | +0.4% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 4 | Iran IR | 99.7% | -0.0% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 5 | Singapore SG | 99.7% | -0.0% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 6 | Malaysia MY | 99.6% | -0.2% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 7 | Malta MT | 99.5% | +1.1% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 8 | United Kingdom GB | 99.5% | -0.2% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 9 | Uruguay UY | 99.4% | -0.2% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 10 | Argentina AR | 99.2% | +0.1% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 11 | Sweden SE | 99.2% | -0.2% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 12 | New Zealand NZ | 99.1% | +0.7% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 13 | Sri Lanka LK | 99.1% | +0.2% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 14 | France FR | 98.9% | +0.1% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 15 | Belgium BE | 98.8% | +0.5% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 16 | Netherlands NL | 98.6% | +1.4% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 17 | Finland FI | 98.6% | -0.4% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 18 | Denmark DK | 98.5% | -0.2% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 19 | Tajikistan TJ | 98.3% | +1.8% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 20 | Slovenia SI | 98.3% | +0.1% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 21 | Greece GR | 98.2% | +0.3% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 22 | Lithuania LT | 98.2% | -0.1% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 23 | Georgia GE | 97.9% | +0.0% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 24 | Mongolia MN | 97.9% | +0.0% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 25 | Myanmar MM | 97.7% | — | 2017 | World Bank |
| 26 | Algeria DZ | 97.6% | -0.0% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 27 | Portugal PT | 97.6% | +0.9% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 28 | Cyprus CY | 97.5% | +0.8% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 29 | Namibia NA | 97.3% | — | 2017 | World Bank |
| 30 | Bahrain BH | 97.3% | +1.1% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 31 | Spain ES | 97.3% | -1.5% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 32 | South Korea KR | 97.3% | +0.4% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 33 | Benin BJ | 97% | — | 2017 | World Bank |
| 34 | Egypt EG | 97% | -0.4% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 35 | Israel IL | 97% | +0.3% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 36 | Rwanda RW | 96.9% | -1.9% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 37 | Morocco MA | 96.9% | +2.4% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 38 | Macao, China MO | 96.8% | +0.1% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 39 | Australia AU | 96.4% | -0.3% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 40 | Costa Rica CR | 96.3% | -1.9% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 41 | Nepal NP | 96.3% | -1.9% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 42 | Latvia LV | 96.3% | +0.3% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 43 | Brazil BR | 96.3% | +0.9% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 44 | Uzbekistan UZ | 96.3% | +1.2% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 45 | Belize BZ | 96.2% | +0.1% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 46 | Mauritius MU | 95.8% | +0.9% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 47 | Poland PL | 95.8% | — | 2017 | World Bank |
| 48 | Ireland IE | 95.8% | -0.1% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 49 | Hong Kong, China HK | 95.7% | -0.7% | 2017 | World Bank |
| 50 | Montenegro ME | 95.7% | +2.3% | 2017 | World Bank |
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the highest school enrollment, primary (% net)?
Norway, at 99.9% in 2017, ahead of Canada (99.9%) and Iceland (99.8%), among 137 countries ranked on 2017 figures from the World Bank.
Which country has the lowest school enrollment, primary (% net)?
Liberia, at 44.3% in 2017, then Eritrea (51.8%).
What does this ranking measure?
Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official primary school age who are enrolled in primary school to the population of the corresponding official primary school age.
Which countries are included?
137 countries with 2017 figures: Norway, Canada, Iceland, Iran, Singapore, Malaysia, Malta, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Argentina, Sweden and New Zealand and 125 more. 57 other countries published figures only for other periods and are left out, so every row compares the same period.
Where does the data come from?
From the World Bank. Every value links to its record, which quotes the table or sentence it was read from. Only actual figures are ranked; forecasts are left out.
Cite & reuse
Cite this ranking
Published under CC BY 4.0.
StatOrigin. (2026). School enrollment, primary (% net) by country, 2017. Retrieved from https://statorigin.org/rankings/school-enrollment-primary-net-by-country