Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Spain
Spain: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) was 4.83 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
4.83 million
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
48th
of 197 countries
All-time high
4.88 million
in 2020
All-time low
4.10 million
in 2002
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Spain, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Spain stood at 4.83 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Spain peaked at 4.88 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.10 million, in 2002.
Spain ranks 48th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Spain, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4.16 million | — |
| 2002 | 4.10 million | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 4.10 million | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4.11 million | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 4.11 million | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 4.14 million | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 4.20 million | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 4.28 million | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 4.33 million | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 4.38 million | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 4.45 million | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 4.53 million | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 4.59 million | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 4.65 million | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 4.73 million | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 4.78 million | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 4.81 million | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 4.85 million | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 4.88 million | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 4.88 million | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 4.86 million | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 4.83 million | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 4.85 million | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 4.83 million | -0.4% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 4.83 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 607,680, 8.0× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Spain's 4.83 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 855,763, 5.6× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.17 million | 4.10 million | 4.33 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 4.66 million | 4.38 million | 4.88 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.85 million | 4.83 million | 4.88 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More education data for Spain
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 344,203 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 37,817 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 570,954 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 538,977 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.71 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.83 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.058 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Spain?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Spain was 4.83 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 4.88 million in 2020.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.10 million in 2002.
- How does Spain rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Spain ranks 48th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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 — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release