Pupils starting grade 1 who reach last grade of primary, both sexes

What does this indicator tell us?

This indicator is the percentage of female and male pupils starting first grade who reach the last grade of primary education; it is a measure of the success of an education system in retaining students from one grade to the next, as well as its internal efficiency. It illustrates the schools' retention of pupils from grade to grade and, conversely, the drop-out rate by grade. This indicator relates to SDG 4: "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all".

How is it defined?

The proportion of pupils starting in the first grade who reach the last grade of primary education, known as the "survival rate to last grade of primary", is the percentage of a cohort of pupils in a given school year enrolled in the first grade of primary education who are expected to reach the last grade of primary school, regardless of repetition. The survival rate is a percentage of the cohort of pupils (i.e. children who have already entered school), not a percentage of all school-aged children..

What are the implications?

Level of education, especially among women, plays a role in a child's nutritional status. Every additional year of female education reduces child mortality by 5-10%. A recent analysis found that the risk of stunting was significantly lower among mothers with primary schooling, and even more so among mothers with secondary schooling, although the exact pathways have not been tested.

Source of data

World Bank. DataBank: World development indicators (http://databank.worldbank.org/data/home.aspx).

Further reading

Ruel MT, Alderman H, Maternal and Child Nutrition Study Group. Nutrition-sensitive interventions and rogrammes: how can they help to accelerate progress in improving maternal and child nutrition? Lancet. 2013;382(9891):536-551.

Smith LC, Ramakrishnan U, Ndiaye A, Haddad L, Martorell R. The importance of women's status for child nutrition in developing countries. Washington (DC): International Food Policy Research Institute; 2003 (http://www.ifpri.org/publication/importance-womens-status-child-nutrition-developing-countries).