Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Benin
Benin: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) was 2.38 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
2.38 million
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
75th
of 197 countries
All-time high
2.38 million
in 2025
All-time low
1.14 million
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Benin, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Benin stood at 2.38 million. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 29.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Benin peaked at 2.38 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.14 million, in 1998.
Benin ranks 75th of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Benin, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1.14 million | — |
| 1999 | 1.17 million | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 1.21 million | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 1.25 million | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 1.29 million | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 1.32 million | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 1.36 million | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 1.40 million | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 1.44 million | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 1.47 million | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 1.50 million | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 1.54 million | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 1.59 million | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 1.63 million | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 1.68 million | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 1.73 million | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 1.78 million | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 1.83 million | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 1.89 million | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 1.94 million | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 1.99 million | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 2.04 million | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 2.10 million | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 2.16 million | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 2.22 million | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 2.28 million | +2.7% |
| 2024 | 2.33 million | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 2.38 million | +2.0% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 2.38 million is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.60 million, 91% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Benin's 2.38 million is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.42 million, 98% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.16 million | 1.14 million | 1.17 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.38 million | 1.21 million | 1.54 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.81 million | 1.59 million | 2.04 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.24 million | 2.10 million | 2.38 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
- 72 South Sudan 2.46 million compare
- 73 Netherlands 2.44 million compare
- 74 Togo 2.38 million compare
- 76 Guinea 2.31 million compare
- 77 Tajikistan 2.22 million compare
- 78 Romania 2.14 million compare
More education data for Benin
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 57,296 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 209,295 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 85,495 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 84,746 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 929,099 (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.40 million (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.18 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1743 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Benin?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Benin was 2.38 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 2.38 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.14 million in 1998.
- How does Benin rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Benin ranks 75th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin 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