Education · Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
Democratic Republic of the Congo: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 6.9% (2020), 171st of 176 in the world and 35th of 39 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary enrolment is 117.6% (2023), 15th of 191 in the world and 7th of 41 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary completion is 75.7% (2023), 139th of 168 in the world and 15th of 36 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Pre-primary enrolment
Democratic Republic of the C…Sub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
Primary enrolment
Democratic Republic of the C…Sub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
11 indicators
Education: Democratic Republic of the Congo in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolmentPre-primary enrolment, % gross | 6.9%2020 | 171/176 | 35/39 | 0.9%2001 | 3.4% | 6.9% | +3.5 ppsince 2010 | 28.1% | 20.1% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 117.6%2023 | 15/191 | 7/41 | 50.3%1999 | 92.1% | 115.9% | +17.7 ppsince 2013 | 97.1% | 97.6% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 75.7%2023 | 139/168 | 15/36 | 32.7%1999 | 58.4% | 76.8% | +11.8 ppsince 2013 | 68.9% | 62.9% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 55.5%2023 | 151/176 | 15/34 | · | 37.0% | 55.4%2021 | +17.0 ppsince 2013 | 45.9% | 41.5% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 55.9%2020 | 139/168 | 14/34 | · | 38.1%2012 | 55.9% | +40.3 ppsince 1994 | 44.4% | 38.6% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 6.4%2020 | 162/172 | 26/34 | 1.5%1999 | 7.6%2011 | 6.4% | +0.1 ppsince 2009 | 9.3% | 9.3% | 43.6% | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 68.5%2023 | 118/141 | 23/41 | 67.2%2001 | 75.0%2012 | 65.7% | −6.5 ppsince 2012 | 68.7% | 63.6% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 77.9%2023 | 130/148 | 26/42 | 70.4%2001 | 83.6%2012 | 84.1%2018 | −8.1 ppsince 2013 | 79.0% | 75.4% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 33.22015 | 31/173 | 25/40 | 26.01999 | 37.0 | · | −3.3%since 2002 | 37.4 | 39.8 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 2.8%2022 | 149/184 | 28/43 | · | 1.5% | 2.6% | +1.3 ppsince 2010 | 3.3% | 3.0% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 13.1%2017 | — | — | · | 9.6% | · | — | 15.4% | 16.7% | 14.0% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Pre-primary enrolment+3.5 pp6.9% in 2020
- Primary completion+11.8 pp75.7% in 2023
- Secondary enrolment+17.0 pp55.5% in 2023
- Lower secondary completion+40.3 pp55.9% in 2020
Worse than ten years ago
- Adult literacy−6.5 pp68.5% in 2023
- Youth literacy−8.1 pp77.9% in 2023
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Democratic Republic of the Congo. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Tanzania | Uganda | Angola | Cameroon | Zambia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 6.9%2020 | 77.3%2021 | 14.4%2017 | 39.6%2016 | 35.6%2019 | 8.7%2017 |
| Primary enrolment | 117.6%2023 | 92.7%2024 | 106.2%2017 | 86.7%2023 | 114.4%2024 | 115.6%2024 |
| Primary completion | 75.7%2023 | 77.3%2024 | 53.3%2017 | 47.9%2023 | 75.3%2024 | 81.8%2013 |
| Secondary enrolment | 55.5%2023 | 28.2%2021 | 24.1%2007 | 51.5%2023 | 44.8%2023 | 56.8%2024 |
| Lower secondary completion | 55.9%2020 | 34.2%2024 | 26.3%2017 | 42.1%2023 | 35.0%2023 | 55.3%2013 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 6.4%2020 | 4.0%2024 | 4.6%2014 | 10.0%2024 | 16.7%2024 | 4.0%2012 |
| Adult literacy | 68.5%2023 | 78.2%2022 | 77.0%2024 | 68.2%2023 | 72.6%2018 | 71.8%2024 |
| Youth literacy | 77.9%2023 | 87.1%2022 | 85.2%2024 | 80.7%2023 | 81.9%2018 | 77.7%2024 |
| Pupils per teacher | 33.22015 | 50.62018 | 42.72017 | 50.02015 | 44.82018 | 42.12017 |