Education · World Bank region
Education in South Asia: how the countries rank
School enrolment, completion, literacy and public spending on education. 12 indicators for the 6 economies of South Asia, ranked within the group; the group figure is the World Bank aggregate.
Pre-primary enrolment62.0%South Asia, 2020 · world 60.9%Primary enrolment119.0%South Asia, 2024 · world 102.2%Primary completion94.4%South Asia, 2024 · world 88.0%Secondary enrolment76.9%South Asia, 2024 · world 77.3%Lower secondary completion86.6%South Asia, 2024 · world 77.9%Tertiary enrolment32.8%South Asia, 2024 · world 43.6%Out-of-school children3.4%median countryAdult literacy78.2%South Asia, 2024 · world 87.7%
Pre-primary enrolment
South AsiaWorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & Caribbean
Primary enrolment
South AsiaWorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & Caribbean
countries
All 6 economies, education
Latest value and rank within the group (small figure). Click a column to sort; the country name opens its education profile.
6 shown
| Country | Pre-primary enrolment | Primary enrolment | Primary completion | Secondary enrolment | Lower secondary completion | Tertiary enrolment | Out-of-school children | Adult literacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nepal | 93.7%#1 · 2022 | 128.6%#1 · 2025 | 109.4%#1 · 2025 | 90.4%#1 · 2024 | 98.2%#1 · 2025 | 21.3%#4 · 2024 | 0.8%#5 · 2025 | 68.7%#5 · 2019 |
| Maldives | 76.1%#2 · 2020 | 99.7%#5 · 2024 | 93.8%#4 · 2024 | 79.4%#5 · 2023 | 94.6%#2 · 2024 | 48.5%#1 · 2022 | 0.9%#4 · 2024 | 98.2%#1 · 2019 |
| Sri Lanka | 71.8%#3 · 2020 | 91.5%#6 · 2023 | 94.5%#2 · 2023 | 88.0%#2 · 2023 | 91.9%#3 · 2023 | 20.7%#5 · 2023 | 9.1%#2 · 2023 | 92.7%#2 · 2024 |
| Bhutan | 51.9%#4 · 2021 | 114.9%#2 · 2024 | 86.5%#6 · 2024 | 86.2%#3 · 2024 | 56.6%#6 · 2024 | 13.0%#6 · 2024 | 10.5%#1 · 2024 | 64.9%#6 · 2022 |
| India | 51.7%#5 · 2021 | 111.0%#3 · 2025 | 90.3%#5 · 2025 | 79.6%#4 · 2025 | 88.0%#4 · 2025 | 34.4%#2 · 2025 | 0.1%#6 · 2025 | 78.2%#4 · 2024 |
| Bangladesh | 36.4%#6 · 2021 | 106.5%#4 · 2024 | 94.3%#3 · 2024 | 64.3%#6 · 2024 | 73.8%#5 · 2024 | 23.7%#3 · 2024 | 5.9%#3 · 2024 | 79.0%#3 · 2022 |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)Ranks count group members with a value in the recent window.
within the group
Highest and lowest, indicator by indicator
Pre-primary enrolment6 countries
Lowest
- 6Bangladesh36.4%2021
- 5India51.7%2021
- 4Bhutan51.9%2021
Median country 61.9% · group 62.0%
Primary enrolment6 countries
Lowest
- 6Sri Lanka91.5%2023
- 5Maldives99.7%2024
- 4Bangladesh106.5%2024
Median country 108.8% · group 119.0%
Primary completion6 countries
- 1Nepal109.4%2025
- 2Sri Lanka94.5%2023
- 3Bangladesh94.3%2024
Median country 94.0% · group 94.4%
Secondary enrolment6 countries
Lowest
- 6Bangladesh64.3%2024
- 5Maldives79.4%2023
- 4India79.6%2025
Median country 82.9% · group 76.9%
Lower secondary completion6 countries
Lowest
- 6Bhutan56.6%2024
- 5Bangladesh73.8%2024
- 4India88.0%2025
Median country 90.0% · group 86.6%
Tertiary enrolment6 countries
- 1Maldives48.5%2022
- 2India34.4%2025
- 3Bangladesh23.7%2024
Median country 22.5% · group 32.8%
Out-of-school children6 countries
- 1Bhutan10.5%2024
- 2Sri Lanka9.1%2023
- 3Bangladesh5.9%2024
Median country 3.4%
Adult literacy6 countries
- 1Maldives98.2%2019
- 2Sri Lanka92.7%2024
- 3Bangladesh79.0%2022
Median country 78.6% · group 78.2%
Youth literacy6 countries
Lowest
- 6Bangladesh93.4%2022
- 5Nepal94.2%2019
- 4India97.3%2024
Median country 97.5% · group 96.9%
Pupils per teacher6 countries
- 1Bhutan34.72018
- 2India32.72017
- 3Bangladesh30.12018
Median country 25.9 · group 33.2
Education spending6 countries
Lowest
- 6Sri Lanka1.8%2023
- 5Bangladesh2.0%2024
- 4Nepal3.7%2024
Median country 3.9% · group 2.9%
Education, % of budget6 countries
- 1Bhutan22.2%2025
- 2India14.2%2022
- 3Bangladesh11.9%2025
Median country 11.3% · group 11.3%