Education in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka: official figures
Government schools in Sabaragamuwa Province had 360,746 pupils and 24,480 teachers in 2025 (provisional), 14.7 pupils per teacher, 3rd lowest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 15.5).
How do students in Sabaragamuwa Province do in the O/L exams?
73.5% of Sabaragamuwa Province's 30,451 school candidates who sat the GCE Ordinary Level exam in 2024 (five or more subjects) qualified for Advanced Level, 5th highest 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 Sabaragamuwa Province go to university?
4,058 students from Sabaragamuwa Province were admitted to state universities in 2023/2024, 201 per 100,000 residents, 4th highest of the 9 provinces; they were 9.0% of all admissions (2022/2023: 4,171).
Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copyMore figures
- Enrolment in Sabaragamuwa Province's government schools fell by 7.0% between 2019 and 2025 (Sri Lanka: fell by 7.7%). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
- 12.8% of people in Sabaragamuwa Province had passed the GCE Advanced Level or gone further in the 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 5th highest of the 9 provinces (Sri Lanka: 15.1%). Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka (compiling the named official sources) · saved copy
How Sabaragamuwa Province compares with other provinces
GCE O/L school candidates qualifying for A/L (2024)
Sabaragamuwa Province ranks 5 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | Region | GCE O/L school candidates qualifying for A/L |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Western Province | 74.5% |
| 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% |
Pupils per teacher in government schools (2025)
Sabaragamuwa Province ranks 7 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 Sabaragamuwa 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…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.