Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Australia
Australia: Share of children who are not in pre-primary school was 5.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Australia, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 5.1% for share of children who are not in pre-primary school in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 34.7% on the previous year and down 68.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Australia peaked at 48.6% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 5.1%, in 2024.
That places Australia 121st out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 46.4% | — |
| 2002 | 47.7% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 35.9% | -24.8% |
| 2004 | 35.4% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 38.0% | +7.4% |
| 2006 | 37.0% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 48.0% | +29.5% |
| 2008 | 47.2% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 48.2% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 48.6% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 18.6% | -61.7% |
| 2014 | 16.0% | -14.4% |
| 2015 | 11.8% | -26.1% |
| 2016 | 8.8% | -25.5% |
| 2017 | 13.2% | +51.0% |
| 2018 | 12.6% | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 14.8% | +17.5% |
| 2020 | 15.9% | +7.1% |
| 2021 | 12.9% | -18.4% |
| 2022 | 8.3% | -36.0% |
| 2023 | 7.8% | -5.6% |
| 2024 | 5.1% | -34.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 5.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.8%, 1.1× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Australia's 5.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 13.0%, 39% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 42.6% | 35.4% | 48.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 18.1% | 8.8% | 48.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 10.0% | 5.1% | 15.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Australia?
- Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Australia was 5.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 48.6% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.1% in 2024.
- How does Australia rank for share of children who are not in pre-primary school?
- Australia ranks 121st out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children who are not in pre-primary school rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 68.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are not in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Children one year before the official primary entry age (typically age 5) not enrolled in pre-primary education, expressed as a percentage of all children in that age group.