EU countries by primary completion rate (gross intake to the last grade)
Lithuania had the highest primary completion rate (gross intake to the last grade) of 23 EU countries in 2016, at 102%. Luxembourg had the lowest, at 79%. The median was 98.1%. Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
All EU countries, 2016
Full ranking
| Rank | EU countries | 2016 (%) | Change on 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lithuania | 102 | +1.5 pts |
| 2 | Denmark | 101.5 | +1.9 pts |
| 3 | Poland | 100.4 | +1 pts |
| 4 | Germany | 99.7 | -2.4 pts |
| 5 | Ireland | 99.7 | +1 pts |
| 6 | Sweden | 99.7 | +0.4 pts |
| 7 | Cyprus | 99.5 | +3.1 pts |
| 8 | Finland | 99.4 | -0 pts |
| 9 | Greece | 99 | +1.4 pts |
| 10 | Italy | 98.5 | -0.5 pts |
| 11 | Malta | 98.5 | +1.9 pts |
| 12 | Bulgaria | 98.1 | -1.4 pts |
| 13 | Latvia | 98.1 | -2 pts |
| 14 | Estonia | 97.9 | +0.8 pts |
| 15 | Czechia | 97.7 | +0.7 pts |
| 16 | Croatia | 97.5 | -3.6 pts |
| 17 | Austria | 97.2 | -2.2 pts |
| 18 | Hungary | 97 | -1.4 pts |
| 19 | Slovenia | 96.6 | -1.7 pts |
| 20 | Spain | 95.1 | -1.3 pts |
| 21 | Slovakia | 93.7 | -0.1 pts |
| 22 | Romania | 89.3 | -3.7 pts |
| 23 | Luxembourg | 79 | -1.6 pts |
Other periods
About this ranking
New entrants to the last grade of primary education, of any age, as a percentage of the population at the theoretical entrance age to that grade. UNESCO Institute for Statistics gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary, which World Development Indicators calls the primary completion rate.
It counts pupils who reach the last grade, not those who pass it, and late entrants push it above 100%. The UIS completion rate from household surveys is a different measure and is lower in many countries.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. 1 EU countries with data in other periods have no value for 2016 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Primary completion rate, total, % of relevant age group (SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.Citation styles
APA 7
UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2026). Primary completion rate, total, % of relevant age group (SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS) (EU countries by primary completion rate (gross intake to the last grade), 2016) [Data set]. World Bank, World Development Indicators. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS
MLA 9
Primary completion rate, total, % of relevant age group (SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS), EU countries by primary completion rate (gross intake to the last grade), 2016. UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS. World Bank, World Development Indicators, https://data.worldbank.org. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/primary-completion-rate/eu-countries?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
UNESCO Institute for Statistics. 2026. Primary completion rate, total, % of relevant age group (SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS). EU countries by primary completion rate (gross intake to the last grade), 2016. Dataset. Distributed by World Bank, World Development Indicators. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/primary-completion-rate/eu-countries?period=2016.
Harvard
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) Primary completion rate, total, % of relevant age group (SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS), EU countries by primary completion rate (gross intake to the last grade), 2016 [Dataset]. Via World Bank, World Development Indicators. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/primary-completion-rate/eu-countries?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{unesco_eu_countries_by_primary_2016,
author = {{UNESCO Institute for Statistics}},
title = {{Primary completion rate, total, \% of relevant age group (SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS): EU countries by primary completion rate (gross intake to the last grade), 2016}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
publisher = {World Bank, World Development Indicators},
url = {https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Retrieved through World Bank, World Development Indicators (https://data.worldbank.org). Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/primary-completion-rate/eu-countries?period=2016. Publisher attribution: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Primary completion rate, total, \% of relevant age group (SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - UNESCO Institute for Statistics
TI - Primary completion rate, total, % of relevant age group (SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS): EU countries by primary completion rate (gross intake to the last grade), 2016
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
PB - World Bank, World Development Indicators
DB - Invokely
UR - https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/primary-completion-rate/eu-countries?period=2016
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Retrieved through World Bank, World Development Indicators (https://data.worldbank.org).
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/primary-completion-rate/eu-countries?period=2016.
N1 - Publisher attribution: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Primary completion rate, total, % of relevant age group (SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.
ER -
Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank EU countries by primary completion rate (gross intake to the last grade) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"primary_completion_rate","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=primary_completion_rate&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(27)&limit=10Questions
Which EU country has the highest primary completion rate (gross intake to the last grade)?
Lithuania, with 102% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Which EU country has the lowest primary completion rate (gross intake to the last grade)?
Luxembourg, with 79% in 2016.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Primary completion rate, total, % of relevant age group (SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 1 EU countries have no value for 2016 and are not ranked.