Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in WB: World
WB: World: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 1.24 billion in 2024. ▲ Rising
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in WB: World, 1997–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
WB: World recorded 1.24 billion for population of compulsory school age, both sexes in 2024. 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 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in WB: World peaked at 1.24 billion in 2024 and was at its lowest, 756.55 million, in 1998.
That places WB: World 4th 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 WB: World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 756.61 million | — |
| 1998 | 756.55 million | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 763.62 million | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 769.52 million | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 774.58 million | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 813.25 million | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 816.93 million | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 839.49 million | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 849.95 million | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 844.68 million | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 844.94 million | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 852.36 million | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 1.05 billion | +23.0% |
| 2010 | 1.06 billion | +0.7% |
| 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 758.93 million | 756.55 million | 763.62 million | 3 |
| 2000s | 845.40 million | 769.52 million | 1.05 billion | 10 |
| 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 WB: World
More education data for WB: World
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 23.60 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 337.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.4213 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.3118 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 268.57 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 1.57 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 129.51 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 206.57 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in WB: World?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in WB: 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 WB: World?
- The highest recorded value was 1.24 billion in 2024.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in WB: World?
- The lowest recorded value was 756.55 million in 1998.
- How does WB: World rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- WB: World ranks 4th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in WB: World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: 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