Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Western Asia
SDG: Western Asia: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 53.01 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
53.01 million
Change on year
down 0.1%
Rank
156th
of 221 groups
All-time high
53.04 million
in 2023
All-time low
32.75 million
in 1997
Years of data
28
1997–2024
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Western Asia, 1997–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Western Asia is 53.01 million, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 16.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Western Asia peaked at 53.04 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 32.75 million, in 1997.
That places SDG: Western Asia 156th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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 in SDG: Western Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 32.75 million | — |
| 1998 | 32.75 million | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 33.10 million | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 33.40 million | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 33.79 million | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 35.70 million | +5.7% |
| 2003 | 35.99 million | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 36.36 million | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 36.84 million | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 37.10 million | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 37.23 million | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 37.61 million | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 38.04 million | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 38.26 million | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 38.54 million | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 44.39 million | +15.2% |
| 2013 | 44.95 million | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 45.71 million | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 46.94 million | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 48.02 million | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 48.89 million | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 49.56 million | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 50.31 million | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 51.31 million | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 52.05 million | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 52.71 million | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 53.04 million | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 53.01 million | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.87 million | 32.75 million | 33.10 million | 3 |
| 2000s | 36.21 million | 33.40 million | 38.04 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.56 million | 38.26 million | 50.31 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.42 million | 51.31 million | 53.04 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near SDG: Western Asia
- 153 Guyana 97,346 compare
- 154 Cyprus 96,414 compare
- 155 Maldives 86,846 compare
- 156 Luxembourg 85,846 compare
- 157 Montenegro 71,067 compare
- 158 Suriname 65,845 compare
- 159 Macau, China 64,400 compare
More education data for SDG: Western Asia
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 28.52 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate -0.9495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 13.49 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.7535 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.72 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.901 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate -0.0164 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 28.49 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.1276 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 15.03 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Western Asia?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: Western Asia was 53.01 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in SDG: Western Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 53.04 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in SDG: Western Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.75 million in 1997.
- How does SDG: Western Asia rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- SDG: Western Asia ranks 156th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in SDG: Western Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this SDG: Western 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 — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release