Education in Northern Province, Sri Lanka: official figures
Government schools in Northern Province had 201,485 pupils and 18,108 teachers in 2025 (provisional), 11.1 pupils per teacher, the lowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 15.5).
How do students in Northern Province do in the O/L exams?
69.9% of Northern Province's 16,370 school candidates who sat the GCE Ordinary Level exam in 2024 (five or more subjects) qualified for Advanced Level, the lowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 73.5%; provisional).
Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copyHow many students from Northern Province go to university?
2,795 students from Northern Province were admitted to state universities in 2023/2024, 243 per 100,000 residents, 2nd highest of the 9 provinces; they were 6.2% of all admissions (2022/2023: 2,713).
Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copyMore figures
- Enrolment in Northern Province's government schools fell by 10.8% between 2019 and 2025 (Sri Lanka: fell by 7.7%). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
- 12.5% of people in Northern Province had passed the GCE Advanced Level or gone further in the 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 4th lowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 15.1%). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
How Northern Province compares with other provinces
GCE O/L school candidates qualifying for A/L (2024)
Northern Province ranks 9 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | Region | GCE O/L school candidates qualifying for A/L |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Eastern Province | 74.3% |
| 4 | Central Province | 73.9% |
| 5 | Sabaragamuwa Province | 73.5% |
| 6 | Uva Province | 73.2% |
| 7 | North Western Province | 71.5% |
| 8 | North Central Province | 70.2% |
| 9 | Northern Province | 69.9% |
Pupils per teacher in government schools (2025)
Northern Province ranks 9 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Pupils per teacher in government schools |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Eastern Province | 15.9 |
| 4 | Southern Province | 15.7 |
| 5 | North Western Province | 15.7 |
| 6 | Central Province | 14.9 |
| 7 | Sabaragamuwa Province | 14.7 |
| 8 | Uva Province | 13.8 |
| 9 | Northern Province | 11.1 |
More on Northern Province: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · Sri Lanka
Sources
- Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources): Economic and Social Statistics of Sri Lanka 2026, chapter 2: Tables 2.4 (vehicles, Provincial Departments of Motor Traffic), 2.13, 2.16 and 2.18 (HIES 2019, Department of Census and Statistics), 2.20 (Ministry of Education), 2.26 (Department of Examinations), 2.30 (University Grants Commission) and 2.39 (Ministry of Health), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 babb9cbb27c5…)
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