Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in UNICEF: World
UNICEF: World: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 1.24 billion in 2024. ▲ Rising
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in UNICEF: World, 1997–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in UNICEF: World stood at 1.24 billion. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in UNICEF: World peaked at 1.24 billion in 2024 and was at its lowest, 754.85 million, in 1997.
That places UNICEF: World 5th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in UNICEF: World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 754.85 million | — |
| 1998 | 754.87 million | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 761.94 million | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 767.85 million | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 772.74 million | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 811.42 million | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 815.13 million | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 837.72 million | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 848.21 million | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 842.98 million | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 843.25 million | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 850.73 million | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 1.05 billion | +23.1% |
| 2010 | 1.05 billion | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 1.06 billion | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 1.08 billion | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 1.11 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 | 1.23 billion | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 1.24 billion | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 757.22 million | 754.85 million | 761.94 million | 3 |
| 2000s | 843.70 million | 767.85 million | 1.05 billion | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.13 billion | 1.05 billion | 1.19 billion | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.22 billion | 1.20 billion | 1.24 billion | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: World
More education data for UNICEF: World
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 336.69 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.5772 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 34.04 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 10.49 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 314.34 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.7455 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 268.06 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.3082 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in UNICEF: World?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in UNICEF: 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 UNICEF: World?
- The highest recorded value was 1.24 billion in 2024.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: World?
- The lowest recorded value was 754.85 million in 1997.
- How does UNICEF: World rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- UNICEF: World ranks 5th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: 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 — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release