Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education) by country
The ratio of the labor force with basic education to the working-age population with basic education. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).
Countries reporting
123
Highest
92.1%
Tanzania
Lowest
13.9%
Belarus
Median
49.7%
Years covered
56
1970–2025
Data points
2,669
What the numbers show
Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education) is currently reported for 123 countries. The highest value is 92.1% in Tanzania; the lowest is 13.9% in Belarus.
The median across all reporting countries is 49.7%, and the mean is 49.4%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 7.
Over the past decade 45 countries rose and 78 fell. The largest increase was in New Zealand (up 197.2%), and the largest decrease in Singapore (down 45.0%).
Labor force with basic education: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tanzania | 92.1% | 2024 | up 8.8% | rising |
| 2 | Qatar | 91.6% | 2020 | up 1.1% | flat |
| 3 | Saint Lucia | 86.3% | 2024 | up 23.8% | rising |
| 4 | Uganda | 81.9% | 2021 | up 4.6% | flat |
| 5 | Nigeria | 81.1% | 2024 | up 128.8% | rising |
| 6 | Cambodia | 80.3% | 2023 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 7 | United Arab Emirates | 74.3% | 2023 | down 7.8% | flat |
| 8 | Bolivia | 73.9% | 2024 | up 12.0% | rising |
| 9 | Niger | 72.5% | 2022 | down 3.0% | falling |
| 10 | Vietnam | 70.9% | 2024 | down 11.0% | falling |
| 11 | Angola | 70.8% | 2024 | up 82.1% | rising |
| 12 | Thailand | 70.0% | 2024 | down 1.0% | falling |
| 13 | Botswana | 67.0% | 2024 | up 16.2% | flat |
| 14 | Togo | 66.7% | 2022 | down 22.0% | falling |
| 15 | Moldova | 66.6% | 2024 | down 1.6% | rising |
| 16 | Guatemala | 65.7% | 2024 | up 8.1% | falling |
| 17 | Kenya | 65.6% | 2022 | down 17.0% | flat |
| 18 | Iceland | 65.6% | 2024 | down 9.9% | falling |
| 19 | Paraguay | 65.2% | 2017 | down 0.6% | falling |
| 20 | Rwanda | 64.7% | 2024 | down 14.0% | falling |
| 21 | Macao | 64.5% | 2016 | down 6.2% | falling |
| 22 | Belize | 64.0% | 2019 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 23 | Peru | 63.9% | 2025 | down 13.5% | falling |
| 24 | Indonesia | 63.5% | 2023 | up 1.7% | flat |
| 25 | Malaysia | 63.1% | 2022 | down 5.7% | rising |
| 26 | Venezuela | 63.1% | 2017 | down 1.1% | falling |
| 27 | Bhutan | 62.8% | 2024 | up 3.6% | rising |
| 28 | Zambia | 62.8% | 2024 | down 13.1% | falling |
| 29 | Uruguay | 62.4% | 2024 | down 4.3% | rising |
| 30 | Dominican Republic | 62.1% | 2025 | up 6.8% | rising |
| 31 | Cape Verde | 62.1% | 2019 | up 3.8% | flat |
| 32 | Saudi Arabia | 60.9% | 2024 | up 22.4% | rising |
| 33 | New Zealand | 59.4% | 2020 | up 197.2% | volatile |
| 34 | Philippines | 58.8% | 2023 | down 8.8% | falling |
| 35 | Zimbabwe | 58.5% | 2024 | down 31.3% | falling |
| 36 | Ghana | 58.3% | 2024 | down 23.0% | falling |
| 37 | Pakistan | 58.3% | 2025 | up 12.1% | rising |
| 38 | Ecuador | 58.1% | 2025 | down 4.7% | falling |
| 39 | Burkina Faso | 58.0% | 2024 | down 1.0% | rising |
| 40 | Bangladesh | 57.8% | 2024 | down 8.8% | flat |
| 41 | Mexico | 57.3% | 2024 | down 0.8% | flat |
| 42 | Cote d'Ivoire | 57.0% | 2022 | down 12.9% | falling |
| 43 | United Kingdom | 56.5% | 2025 | down 17.8% | falling |
| 44 | Albania | 56.5% | 2024 | up 20.0% | rising |
| 45 | Jamaica | 56.3% | 2023 | up 1.8% | flat |
| 46 | Honduras | 56.0% | 2025 | down 8.9% | flat |
| 47 | India | 55.9% | 2024 | up 5.3% | falling |
| 48 | Myanmar | 55.6% | 2020 | down 15.9% | falling |
| 49 | El Salvador | 55.4% | 2024 | down 7.5% | falling |
| 50 | Barbados | 54.4% | 2023 | down 6.1% | falling |
| 51 | Panama | 54.0% | 2024 | down 4.2% | falling |
| 52 | Norway | 53.6% | 2024 | up 6.9% | flat |
| 53 | Malta | 53.5% | 2024 | up 15.2% | rising |
| 54 | Singapore | 53.1% | 2024 | down 45.0% | falling |
| 55 | Switzerland | 52.8% | 2024 | up 3.3% | flat |
| 56 | Colombia | 51.8% | 2025 | down 14.6% | falling |
| 57 | Namibia | 50.6% | 2018 | down 6.8% | rising |
| 58 | Tunisia | 50.5% | 2023 | down 4.0% | flat |
| 59 | Netherlands | 50.4% | 2024 | up 9.6% | flat |
| 60 | Brazil | 50.2% | 2025 | down 24.0% | falling |
| 61 | Costa Rica | 50.0% | 2025 | down 17.9% | falling |
| 62 | Czechia | 49.7% | 2024 | up 139.4% | rising |
| 63 | Malawi | 49.5% | 2024 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 64 | Sri Lanka | 48.9% | 2023 | down 7.2% | falling |
| 65 | Grenada | 48.9% | 2023 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 66 | Denmark | 48.0% | 2024 | up 10.9% | falling |
| 67 | Turkey | 47.8% | 2024 | down 3.2% | flat |
| 68 | Fiji | 46.7% | 2024 | down 18.7% | falling |
| 69 | South Africa | 46.6% | 2024 | up 3.0% | rising |
| 70 | Germany | 46.1% | 2024 | up 22.7% | rising |
| 71 | Argentina | 46.1% | 2024 | down 7.5% | falling |
| 72 | Spain | 45.9% | 2025 | down 10.0% | rising |
| 73 | Sweden | 45.2% | 2024 | down 4.2% | falling |
| 74 | Palestine | 44.1% | 2025 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 75 | Brunei | 43.7% | 2024 | down 26.9% | falling |
| 76 | South Korea | 43.6% | 2025 | down 12.3% | falling |
| 77 | United States | 42.8% | 2025 | up 4.3% | rising |
| 78 | Jordan | 42.4% | 2023 | up 4.4% | flat |
| 79 | Seychelles | 42.1% | 2024 | up 8.4% | rising |
| 80 | Mongolia | 41.9% | 2024 | down 16.0% | falling |
| 81 | Portugal | 41.6% | 2025 | down 20.7% | falling |
| 82 | Australia | 41.3% | 2024 | down 19.7% | falling |
| 83 | Chile | 41.1% | 2025 | down 18.6% | falling |
| 84 | Mauritius | 40.7% | 2024 | down 27.5% | falling |
| 85 | Canada | 40.6% | 2025 | down 10.6% | falling |
| 86 | Estonia | 40.1% | 2024 | down 0.8% | rising |
| 87 | Austria | 39.9% | 2025 | up 9.5% | flat |
| 88 | Morocco | 39.6% | 2022 | down 27.2% | rising |
| 89 | East Timor | 39.2% | 2022 | down 19.0% | falling |
| 90 | Poland | 38.9% | 2024 | up 113.3% | rising |
| 91 | Luxembourg | 37.9% | 2024 | up 4.5% | falling |
| 92 | Iran | 37.7% | 2024 | down 11.0% | falling |
| 93 | Trinidad and Tobago | 37.6% | 2024 | down 20.1% | falling |
| 94 | Cyprus | 36.9% | 2024 | down 11.3% | falling |
| 95 | Serbia | 36.8% | 2024 | up 9.8% | falling |
| 96 | Hong Kong | 35.8% | 2024 | down 17.1% | falling |
| 97 | Armenia | 35.6% | 2023 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 98 | Mali | 35.5% | 2024 | down 23.6% | falling |
| 99 | Egypt | 34.4% | 2024 | up 23.9% | rising |
| 100 | Georgia | 33.8% | 2024 | down 4.1% | falling |
| 101 | Hungary | 33.1% | 2024 | up 35.9% | rising |
| 102 | Ukraine | 32.2% | 2021 | up 51.9% | rising |
| 103 | Senegal | 32.1% | 2024 | down 25.9% | falling |
| 104 | Italy | 31.9% | 2024 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 105 | Finland | 31.5% | 2024 | up 10.4% | falling |
| 106 | Latvia | 30.3% | 2024 | down 17.5% | rising |
| 107 | Ireland | 29.6% | 2024 | down 11.7% | falling |
| 108 | Belgium | 28.9% | 2024 | down 6.1% | falling |
| 109 | Israel | 28.8% | 2024 | down 14.3% | falling |
| 110 | France | 28.8% | 2024 | down 9.3% | falling |
| 111 | Romania | 27.9% | 2024 | down 23.8% | falling |
| 112 | North Macedonia | 27.9% | 2024 | down 29.9% | falling |
| 113 | Greece | 27.5% | 2024 | down 17.8% | falling |
| 114 | Bulgaria | 27.2% | 2024 | up 3.8% | rising |
| 115 | Kyrgyzstan | 26.8% | 2018 | down 8.2% | flat |
| 116 | Montenegro | 26.7% | 2024 | up 41.3% | rising |
| 117 | Slovenia | 25.4% | 2024 | down 19.4% | falling |
| 118 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 24.9% | 2024 | down 1.9% | falling |
| 119 | Lithuania | 23.9% | 2024 | up 43.9% | falling |
| 120 | Russia | 23.0% | 2024 | down 17.4% | falling |
| 121 | Slovakia | 20.0% | 2024 | down 1.8% | falling |
| 122 | Croatia | 15.2% | 2024 | down 32.8% | falling |
| 123 | Belarus | 13.9% | 2024 | down 3.5% | flat |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Lower middle income 60.0%
- South Asia 56.2%
- South Asia (IDA & IBRD) 56.2%
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 54.7%
- Early-demographic dividend 54.6%
- Latin America & Caribbean 54.3%
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 54.3%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 46.0%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 44.8%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 44.8%
- OECD members 44.7%
- Post-demographic dividend 42.6%
About this data
The ratio of the labor force with basic education to the working-age population with basic education. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).