Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in ALECSO: Least Developed Countries
ALECSO: Least Developed Countries: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 23.19 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
23.19 million
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
182nd
of 221 groups
All-time high
23.19 million
in 2023
All-time low
5.09 million
in 1997
Years of data
28
1997–2024
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in ALECSO: Least Developed Countries, 1997–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population of compulsory school age, both sexes in ALECSO: Least Developed Countries is 23.19 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 46.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in ALECSO: Least Developed Countries peaked at 23.19 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5.09 million, in 1997.
ALECSO: Least Developed Countries ranks 182nd of 221 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in ALECSO: Least Developed Countries, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 5.09 million | — |
| 1998 | 5.09 million | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 5.27 million | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 5.62 million | +6.6% |
| 2001 | 5.78 million | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 5.92 million | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 6.04 million | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 6.14 million | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 11.59 million | +88.7% |
| 2006 | 11.79 million | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 12.00 million | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 12.21 million | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 12.45 million | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 14.49 million | +16.3% |
| 2011 | 14.80 million | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 15.14 million | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 15.50 million | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 15.86 million | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 16.21 million | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 16.57 million | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 16.92 million | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 17.27 million | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 17.60 million | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 17.95 million | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 22.08 million | +23.0% |
| 2022 | 22.63 million | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 23.19 million | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 23.19 million | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.15 million | 5.09 million | 5.27 million | 3 |
| 2000s | 8.95 million | 5.62 million | 12.45 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.04 million | 14.49 million | 17.60 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.81 million | 17.95 million | 23.19 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near ALECSO: Least Developed Countries
- 179 Dominica 9,905 compare
- 180 Cayman Islands 9,350 compare
- 181 Bermuda 8,111 compare
- 182 Andorra 7,441 compare
- 183 Saint Kitts and Nevis 6,924 compare
- 184 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 6,702 compare
- 185 Turks and Caicos Islands 6,533 compare
More education data for ALECSO: Least Developed Countries
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 193,251 (2020)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.75 million (2020)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 11.6 % change on previous year (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.25 million (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.84 % change on previous year (2020)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.01 million (2016)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.63 % change on previous year (2016)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 2.84 % change on previous year (2016)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 2.48 % change on previous year (2016)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 577,798 (2016)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in ALECSO: Least Developed Countries?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in ALECSO: Least Developed Countries was 23.19 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in ALECSO: Least Developed Countries?
- The highest recorded value was 23.19 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in ALECSO: Least Developed Countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.09 million in 1997.
- How does ALECSO: Least Developed Countries rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- ALECSO: Least Developed Countries ranks 182nd out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in ALECSO: Least Developed Countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ALECSO: Least Developed Countries data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release