Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: World

SDG: World: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 1.24 billion in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
1.24 billion
Change on year
up 0.1%
Rank
1st
of 221 groups
All-time high
1.24 billion
in 2024
All-time low
756.56 million
in 1998
Years of data
18
1997–2024

Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: World, 1997–2024

0250.0M500.0M750.0M1.0B1.2B1997201020241997: 756.6M1998: 756.6M1999: 763.6M2010: 1.1B2011: 1.1B2012: 1.1B2013: 1.1B2014: 1.1B2015: 1.1B2016: 1.2B2017: 1.2B2018: 1.2B2019: 1.2B2020: 1.2B2021: 1.2B2022: 1.2B2023: 1.2B2024: 1.2B

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2024, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: World stood at 1.24 billion. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 10.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: World peaked at 1.24 billion in 2024 and was at its lowest, 756.56 million, in 1998.

That places SDG: World 1st out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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: World, year by year

Annual values for Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) in SDG: World, 1997 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1997 756.61 million
1998 756.56 million -0.0%
1999 763.62 million +0.9%
2010 1.06 billion +38.3%
2011 1.06 billion +0.7%
2012 1.08 billion +1.8%
2013 1.12 billion +3.1%
2014 1.12 billion +0.7%
2015 1.15 billion +2.2%
2016 1.16 billion +1.1%
2017 1.16 billion +0.2%
2018 1.18 billion +1.3%
2019 1.19 billion +1.0%
2020 1.20 billion +1.1%
2021 1.22 billion +1.2%
2022 1.23 billion +0.8%
2023 1.24 billion +0.7%
2024 1.24 billion +0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 758.93 million 756.56 million 763.62 million 3
2010s 1.13 billion 1.06 billion 1.19 billion 10
2020s 1.22 billion 1.20 billion 1.24 billion 5

Countries ranked near SDG: World

  1. 1 India 185.47 million compare
  2. 2 China 159.15 million compare
  3. 3 Pakistan 71.68 million compare
  4. 4 Nigeria 55.43 million compare

See the full ranking of 418 places →

More education data for SDG: World

All data for SDG: World →

Frequently asked questions

What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: World?
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: World was 1.24 billion in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in SDG: World?
The highest recorded value was 1.24 billion in 2024.
What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in SDG: World?
The lowest recorded value was 756.56 million in 1998.
How does SDG: World rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
SDG: World ranks 1st out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in SDG: World?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this SDG: World 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: World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-compulsory-school-age-both-sexes-number-2/sdg-world/

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-world/">Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in SDG: World</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