Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of children who are not in pre-primary school was 35.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Saudi Arabia, 2013–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 35.6% for share of children who are not in pre-primary school in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is down 17.9% on the previous year and down 47.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Saudi Arabia peaked at 75.4% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 35.6%, in 2024.
Saudi Arabia ranks 42nd of 179 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 64.2% | 57.4% | 75.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 49.1% | 35.6% | 64.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 39 Ethiopia 37.4% compare
- 40 Gambia 37.3% compare
- 41 Sierra Leone 37.2% compare
- 43 Liberia 34.8% compare
- 44 Papua New Guinea 34.7% compare
- 45 British Virgin Islands 34.3% compare
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 23.6% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 73.3% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 104.0% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 244,652 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 2.31 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 104.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Saudi Arabia was 35.6% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 75.4% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.6% in 2024.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of children who are not in pre-primary school?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 42nd out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children who are not in pre-primary school rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.
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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.