Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in India

India: Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes was 43.90 million number in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
43.90 million number
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
2nd
of 199 countries
All-time high
44.06 million number
in 2017
All-time low
357,749 number
in 1971
Years of data
27
1971–2019

Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in India, 1971–2019

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M1971199520191971: 357.7k number1972: 414.8k number1973: 458.6k number1975: 521.5k number1976: 569.3k number1977: 671.4k number1978: 690.4k number1981: 918.2k number1982: 836.5k number1983: 1.0M number1984: 979.9k number1985: 1.0M number1986: 1.2M number1987: 1.3M number1988: 1.4M number1989: 1.4M number1990: 1.4M number1991: 1.5M number1992: 1.4M number1993: 1.5M number1994: 1.9M number1995: 2.1M number1996: 2.1M number1997: 2.4M number2017: 44.1M number2018: 43.2M number2019: 43.9M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in India is 43.90 million number, measured in 2019.

The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year.

Over the whole period, enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in India peaked at 44.06 million number in 2017 and was at its lowest, 357,749 number, in 1971.

That places India 2nd out of 199 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in India, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in India, 1971 to 2019.
Year number Change
1971 357,749 number
1972 414,769 number +15.9%
1973 458,636 number +10.6%
1975 521,456 number +13.7%
1976 569,296 number +9.2%
1977 671,420 number +17.9%
1978 690,352 number +2.8%
1981 918,238 number +33.0%
1982 836,484 number -8.9%
1983 1.02 million number +22.1%
1984 979,915 number -4.0%
1985 1.03 million number +5.4%
1986 1.24 million number +19.6%
1987 1.27 million number +2.9%
1988 1.42 million number +11.7%
1989 1.44 million number +1.3%
1990 1.35 million number -6.0%
1991 1.51 million number +11.6%
1992 1.44 million number -4.9%
1993 1.46 million number +1.9%
1994 1.94 million number +32.6%
1995 2.12 million number +9.0%
1996 2.14 million number +1.1%
1997 2.38 million number +11.4%
2017 44.06 million number +1749.3%
2018 43.23 million number -1.9%
2019 43.90 million number +1.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 526,240 number 357,749 number 690,352 number 7
1980s 1.13 million number 836,484 number 1.44 million number 9
1990s 1.79 million number 1.35 million number 2.38 million number 8
2010s 43.73 million number 43.23 million number 44.06 million number 3

Countries ranked near India

  1. 1 China 46.56 million number compare
  2. 3 United States 8.67 million number compare
  3. 4 Pakistan 8.54 million number compare
  4. 5 Russia 6.39 million number compare

See the full ranking of 244 places →

More education data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in India?
Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in India was 43.90 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 44.06 million number in 2017.
What is the lowest enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 357,749 number in 1971.
How does India rank for enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes?
India ranks 2nd out of 199 countries with data for 2019.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in India. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-pre-primary-education-both-sexes-number/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
244 places, 8,121 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in public and private pre-primary education institutions (ISCED 0.2) regardless of age. Within ISCED 0, early childhood educational development programmes are targeted at children aged 0 to 2 years; and pre-primary education programmes are targeted at children aged 3 years until the age to start ISCED 1.