Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both was 824,782 number in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
824,782 number
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
29th
of 206 countries
All-time high
978,152 number
in 1971
All-time low
663,396 number
in 1986
Years of data
51
1970–2020

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in United Kingdom, 1970–2020

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M197019952020

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in United Kingdom is 824,782 number, measured in 2020.

The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 17.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in United Kingdom peaked at 978,152 number in 1971 and was at its lowest, 663,396 number, in 1986.

That places United Kingdom 29th out of 206 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in United Kingdom, year by year

Annual values for Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number) in United Kingdom, 1970 to 2020.
Year number Change
1970 972,395 number
1971 978,152 number +0.6%
1972 973,499 number -0.5%
1973 957,022 number -1.7%
1974 932,057 number -2.6%
1975 903,603 number -3.1%
1976 878,152 number -2.8%
1977 847,143 number -3.5%
1978 812,108 number -4.1%
1979 775,933 number -4.5%
1980 742,115 number -4.4%
1981 714,815 number -3.7%
1982 693,792 number -2.9%
1983 678,235 number -2.2%
1984 668,252 number -1.5%
1985 663,576 number -0.7%
1986 663,396 number -0.0%
1987 675,006 number +1.8%
1988 694,155 number +2.8%
1989 716,870 number +3.3%
1990 737,645 number +2.9%
1991 749,747 number +1.6%
1992 759,319 number +1.3%
1993 765,461 number +0.8%
1994 768,982 number +0.5%
1995 771,455 number +0.3%
1996 774,985 number +0.5%
1997 774,020 number -0.1%
1998 770,245 number -0.5%
1999 764,043 number -0.8%
2000 756,013 number -1.1%
2001 747,148 number -1.2%
2002 734,951 number -1.6%
2003 721,584 number -1.8%
2004 708,810 number -1.8%
2005 698,737 number -1.4%
2006 693,568 number -0.7%
2007 691,495 number -0.3%
2008 691,796 number +0.0%
2009 694,855 number +0.4%
2010 701,068 number +0.9%
2011 711,012 number +1.4%
2012 730,490 number +2.7%
2013 755,645 number +3.4%
2014 782,608 number +3.6%
2015 805,957 number +3.0%
2016 818,792 number +1.6%
2017 826,715 number +1.0%
2018 829,194 number +0.3%
2019 827,770 number -0.2%
2020 824,782 number -0.4%

United Kingdom compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom's 824,782 number is above the median for high income countries, which is 44,436 number, 18.6× the median. (76 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom's 824,782 number is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 77,228 number, 10.7× the median. (52 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 903,006 number 775,933 number 978,152 number 10
1980s 691,021 number 663,396 number 742,115 number 10
1990s 763,590 number 737,645 number 774,985 number 10
2000s 713,896 number 691,495 number 756,013 number 10
2010s 778,925 number 701,068 number 829,194 number 10
2020s 824,782 number 824,782 number 824,782 number 1

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 26 Mozambique 933,167 number compare
  2. 27 Algeria 932,632 number compare
  3. 28 Myanmar 893,534 number compare
  4. 30 France 817,316 number compare
  5. 31 Yemen 786,654 number compare
  6. 32 Ghana 780,955 number compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in United Kingdom?
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in United Kingdom was 824,782 number in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 978,152 number in 1971.
What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 663,396 number in 1986.
How does United Kingdom rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both?
United Kingdom ranks 29th out of 206 countries with data for 2020.
Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom 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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Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-the-official-entrance-age-to-primary-education-both-sexes-number/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 12,277 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to the official entrance age to primary education. The official entrance age is the age at which students would enter a given programme or level of education assuming they start at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, study full-time throughout and progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade. The theoretical entrance age to a given programme or level is typically, but not always, the most common entrance age.