Only 6.37% of the population in the Riau Islands have a tertiary education.

Based on data from the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the population of Riau Islands (Kepri) was 2.06 million in June 2021. Of this number, only 130.92 million people (6.37%) of the Kepri population had received higher education.

The details are as follows: only 198 people (0.01%) of the Kepri population graduated with a doctoral degree (S3), 3,920 people (0.19%) had a master's degree (S2), and 84,220 people (4.1%) had a bachelor's degree (S1). There were also 33,700 people (1.64%) with a Diploma 3 (D3) education, and 8,890 people (0.43%) with a Diploma 1 or 2 (D1 and D2) education.

The Kepri population with education up to Senior High School (SLTA) totaled 580,670 people (28.25%). Furthermore, 207,130 people (10.08%) had completed Junior High School (SLTP).

The population in this province, whose capital city is Tanjungpinang, who had completed primary school (SD) numbered 272,640 (13.27%), and 239,260 people (11.64%) had not completed primary school.

A total of 624,650 people (30.39%) of the Kepri population were not/had not attended school. This group is the largest compared to other groups. Therefore, Early Childhood Education (PAUD) facilities or pre-primary education are needed in the province.