Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 8.99 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 8.99 million for population of compulsory school age, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 8.99 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.95 million, in 2011.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 32nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.41 million | — |
| 2001 | 8.39 million | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 8.38 million | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 8.36 million | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 8.33 million | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 8.27 million | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 8.21 million | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 8.12 million | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 8.04 million | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 7.98 million | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 7.96 million | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 7.95 million | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 7.97 million | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 8.00 million | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 8.07 million | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 8.16 million | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 8.27 million | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 8.41 million | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 8.53 million | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 8.63 million | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 8.68 million | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 8.71 million | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 8.78 million | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 8.89 million | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 8.99 million | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.25 million | 7.98 million | 8.41 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.19 million | 7.95 million | 8.63 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.81 million | 8.68 million | 8.99 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 8.99 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 8.99 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.95 million in 2011.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 32nd out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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 — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release