Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number) in Australia
Australia: Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number) was 2.27 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
2.27 million
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
65th
of 218 countries
All-time high
2.27 million
in 2024
All-time low
1.51 million
in 1987
Years of data
54
1971–2024
Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Australia, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Australia stood at 2.27 million. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Australia peaked at 2.27 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.51 million, in 1987.
That places Australia 65th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number) in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.69 million | — |
| 1972 | 1.68 million | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 1.67 million | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 1.60 million | -4.6% |
| 1975 | 1.63 million | +2.3% |
| 1976 | 1.64 million | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 1.67 million | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 1.70 million | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 1.71 million | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 1.72 million | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 1.71 million | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 1.69 million | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 1.65 million | -2.4% |
| 1984 | 1.61 million | -2.7% |
| 1985 | 1.54 million | -3.9% |
| 1986 | 1.52 million | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 1.51 million | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 1.53 million | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 1.56 million | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 1.58 million | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 1.61 million | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 1.62 million | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 1.63 million | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 1.64 million | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 1.83 million | +11.8% |
| 1996 | 1.85 million | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 1.86 million | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 1.87 million | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 1.89 million | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 1.91 million | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 1.91 million | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 1.93 million | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 1.93 million | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 1.93 million | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 1.93 million | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.94 million | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 1.97 million | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 1.98 million | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 1.99 million | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 2.02 million | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 2.04 million | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 2.08 million | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 2.13 million | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 2.17 million | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 2.14 million | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 2.18 million | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 2.22 million | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 2.25 million | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 2.26 million | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 2.27 million | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 2.27 million | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 2.25 million | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 2.26 million | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 2.27 million | +0.4% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 2.27 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 236,668, 9.6× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Australia's 2.27 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 227,656, 10.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.67 million | 1.60 million | 1.71 million | 9 |
| 1980s | 1.60 million | 1.51 million | 1.72 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.74 million | 1.58 million | 1.89 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.94 million | 1.91 million | 1.99 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.15 million | 2.02 million | 2.26 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.26 million | 2.25 million | 2.27 million | 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 enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Australia?
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Australia was 2.27 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in primary education, both sexes recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.27 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest enrolment in primary education, both sexes recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.51 million in 1987.
- How does Australia rank for enrolment in primary education, both sexes?
- Australia ranks 65th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is enrolment in primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release