Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes was 1.76 million number in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
1.76 million number
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
20th
of 199 countries
All-time high
1.83 million number
in 2016
All-time low
571,545 number
in 1976
Years of data
32
1976–2018

Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1976–2018

500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1976199720181976: 571.5k number1983: 603.0k number1984: 649.0k number1985: 671.0k number1986: 665.0k number1987: 675.0k number1988: 695.0k number1989: 716.0k number1990: 763.0k number1991: 792.7k number1992: 810.6k number1998: 1.2M number1999: 1.2M number2000: 1.2M number2001: 1.2M number2002: 1.2M number2003: 1.1M number2004: 822.4k number2005: 977.4k number2006: 989.6k number2007: 1.0M number2008: 1.1M number2009: 1.1M number2010: 1.2M number2011: 1.2M number2012: 1.3M number2013: 1.3M number2014: 1.4M number2015: 1.7M number2016: 1.8M number2017: 1.8M number2018: 1.8M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 1.76 million number for enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in 2018.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 59.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 1.83 million number in 2016 and was at its lowest, 571,545 number, in 1976.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 20th out of 199 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.

Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1976 to 2018.
Year number Change
1976 571,545 number
1983 603,000 number +5.5%
1984 649,000 number +7.6%
1985 671,000 number +3.4%
1986 665,000 number -0.9%
1987 675,000 number +1.5%
1988 695,000 number +3.0%
1989 716,000 number +3.0%
1990 763,000 number +6.6%
1991 792,700 number +3.9%
1992 810,600 number +2.3%
1998 1.15 million number +42.1%
1999 1.16 million number +0.3%
2000 1.18 million number +2.4%
2001 1.19 million number +0.3%
2002 1.18 million number -0.6%
2003 1.08 million number -8.2%
2004 822,407 number -24.1%
2005 977,448 number +18.9%
2006 989,596 number +1.2%
2007 1.00 million number +1.5%
2008 1.11 million number +10.3%
2009 1.12 million number +1.2%
2010 1.18 million number +4.8%
2011 1.25 million number +6.2%
2012 1.28 million number +2.7%
2013 1.26 million number -1.8%
2014 1.43 million number +13.6%
2015 1.67 million number +16.6%
2016 1.83 million number +9.8%
2017 1.76 million number -3.7%
2018 1.76 million number +0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 571,545 number 571,545 number 571,545 number 1
1980s 667,714 number 603,000 number 716,000 number 7
1990s 934,638 number 763,000 number 1.16 million number 5
2000s 1.07 million number 822,407 number 1.19 million number 10
2010s 1.49 million number 1.18 million number 1.83 million number 9

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 17 Nigeria 2.02 million number compare
  2. 18 Ghana 1.85 million number compare
  3. 19 Thailand 1.79 million number compare
  4. 21 Colombia 1.74 million number compare
  5. 22 Argentina 1.69 million number compare
  6. 23 Peru 1.68 million number compare

See the full ranking of 244 places →

More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 1.76 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 1.83 million number in 2016.
What is the lowest enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 571,545 number in 1976.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 20th out of 199 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 59.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-pre-primary-education-both-sexes-number/united-kingdom/

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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.