Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Central and Southern Asia

SDG: Central and Southern Asia: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 321.81 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
321.81 million
Change on year
down 0.2%
Rank
22nd
of 221 groups
All-time high
322.33 million
in 2023
All-time low
91.69 million
in 1997
Years of data
18
1997–2024

Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Central and Southern Asia, 1997–2024

100.0M150.0M200.0M250.0M300.0M1997201020241997: 91.7M1998: 91.7M1999: 92.7M2010: 303.7M2011: 308.4M2012: 309.2M2013: 310.8M2014: 311.7M2015: 317.8M2016: 318.8M2017: 318.8M2018: 319.3M2019: 319.9M2020: 320.8M2021: 321.8M2022: 322.2M2023: 322.3M2024: 321.8M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

SDG: Central and Southern Asia recorded 321.81 million for population of compulsory school age, both sexes in 2024.

The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Central and Southern Asia peaked at 322.33 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 91.69 million, in 1997.

SDG: Central and Southern Asia ranks 22nd of 221 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Central and Southern Asia, year by year

Annual values for Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) in SDG: Central and Southern Asia, 1997 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1997 91.69 million
1998 91.69 million +0.0%
1999 92.74 million +1.1%
2010 303.75 million +227.5%
2011 308.39 million +1.5%
2012 309.16 million +0.3%
2013 310.84 million +0.5%
2014 311.71 million +0.3%
2015 317.77 million +1.9%
2016 318.76 million +0.3%
2017 318.85 million +0.0%
2018 319.29 million +0.1%
2019 319.93 million +0.2%
2020 320.80 million +0.3%
2021 321.75 million +0.3%
2022 322.19 million +0.1%
2023 322.33 million +0.0%
2024 321.81 million -0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 92.04 million 91.69 million 92.74 million 3
2010s 313.84 million 303.75 million 319.93 million 10
2020s 321.78 million 320.80 million 322.33 million 5

Countries ranked near SDG: Central and Southern Asia

  1. 19 Tanzania, United Republic of 12.66 million compare
  2. 20 Angola 10.60 million compare
  3. 21 France 10.47 million compare
  4. 22 Sudan 10.26 million compare
  5. 23 Germany 10.17 million compare
  6. 24 Afghanistan 10.11 million compare
  7. 25 Argentina 9.91 million compare

See the full ranking of 418 places →

More education data for SDG: Central and Southern Asia

All data for SDG: Central and Southern Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Central and Southern Asia?
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Central and Southern Asia was 321.81 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in SDG: Central and Southern Asia?
The highest recorded value was 322.33 million in 2023.
What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in SDG: Central and Southern Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 91.69 million in 1997.
How does SDG: Central and Southern Asia rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
SDG: Central and Southern Asia ranks 22nd out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in SDG: Central and Southern Asia?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this SDG: Central and Southern Asia 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 — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Central and Southern Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-compulsory-school-age-both-sexes-number-2/sdg-central-and-southern-asia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-compulsory-school-age-both-sexes-number-2/sdg-central-and-southern-asia/">Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Central and Southern Asia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
418 places, 11,049 data points, 1974–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release