Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both was 549,760 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
549,760
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
50th
of 222 countries
All-time high
557,530
in 2022
All-time low
107,222
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2025
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Saudi Arabia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 549,760 for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and up 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Saudi Arabia peaked at 557,530 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 107,222, in 1970.
Saudi Arabia ranks 50th of 222 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 107,222 | — |
| 1971 | 112,112 | +4.6% |
| 1972 | 116,862 | +4.2% |
| 1973 | 122,113 | +4.5% |
| 1974 | 127,821 | +4.7% |
| 1975 | 133,532 | +4.5% |
| 1976 | 139,822 | +4.7% |
| 1977 | 147,078 | +5.2% |
| 1978 | 154,928 | +5.3% |
| 1979 | 164,255 | +6.0% |
| 1980 | 173,944 | +5.9% |
| 1981 | 184,538 | +6.1% |
| 1982 | 195,959 | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 208,464 | +6.4% |
| 1984 | 222,244 | +6.6% |
| 1985 | 237,190 | +6.7% |
| 1986 | 252,947 | +6.6% |
| 1987 | 267,974 | +5.9% |
| 1988 | 283,629 | +5.8% |
| 1989 | 299,906 | +5.7% |
| 1990 | 316,286 | +5.5% |
| 1991 | 332,888 | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 347,610 | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 360,248 | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 371,533 | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 381,814 | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 389,244 | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 396,114 | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 402,818 | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 409,076 | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 415,917 | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 428,441 | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 434,136 | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 435,140 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 433,948 | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 432,483 | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 426,913 | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 424,953 | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 430,927 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 438,877 | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 448,089 | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 454,988 | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 465,599 | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 477,319 | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 493,090 | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 506,736 | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 529,038 | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 537,692 | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 535,321 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 529,134 | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 550,445 | +4.0% |
| 2021 | 554,698 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 557,530 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 554,610 | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 549,760 | -0.9% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 549,760 is above the median for high income countries, which is 40,266, 13.7× the median. (80 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 549,760 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 202,992, 2.7× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 132,574 | 107,222 | 164,255 | 10 |
| 1980s | 232,680 | 173,944 | 299,906 | 10 |
| 1990s | 370,763 | 316,286 | 409,076 | 10 |
| 2000s | 430,174 | 415,917 | 438,877 | 10 |
| 2010s | 497,701 | 448,089 | 537,692 | 10 |
| 2020s | 553,409 | 549,760 | 557,530 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Saudi Arabia?
- Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Saudi Arabia was 549,760 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 557,530 in 2022.
- What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 107,222 in 1970.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 50th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release