Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in India

India: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male was 12.38 million number in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
12.38 million number
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
1st
of 206 countries
All-time high
13.55 million number
in 2010
All-time low
7.79 million number
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2020

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in India, 1970–2020

05.0M10.0M15.0M197019952020

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

India recorded 12.38 million number for population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 8.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in India peaked at 13.55 million number in 2010 and was at its lowest, 7.79 million number, in 1970.

That places India 1st out of 206 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in India, year by year

Annual values for Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male (number) in India, 1970 to 2020.
Year number Change
1970 7.79 million number
1971 7.91 million number +1.5%
1972 8.08 million number +2.0%
1973 8.23 million number +1.9%
1974 8.37 million number +1.7%
1975 8.50 million number +1.6%
1976 8.62 million number +1.4%
1977 8.81 million number +2.2%
1978 9.01 million number +2.3%
1979 9.21 million number +2.2%
1980 9.40 million number +2.0%
1981 9.56 million number +1.7%
1982 9.78 million number +2.3%
1983 9.99 million number +2.1%
1984 10.19 million number +2.0%
1985 10.39 million number +1.9%
1986 10.58 million number +1.9%
1987 10.85 million number +2.5%
1988 11.15 million number +2.7%
1989 11.45 million number +2.7%
1990 11.72 million number +2.4%
1991 11.93 million number +1.8%
1992 12.14 million number +1.7%
1993 12.29 million number +1.3%
1994 12.41 million number +0.9%
1995 12.49 million number +0.7%
1996 12.56 million number +0.6%
1997 12.67 million number +0.9%
1998 12.76 million number +0.7%
1999 12.84 million number +0.6%
2000 12.91 million number +0.5%
2001 12.96 million number +0.4%
2002 13.05 million number +0.7%
2003 13.14 million number +0.7%
2004 13.23 million number +0.7%
2005 13.31 million number +0.6%
2006 13.36 million number +0.4%
2007 13.43 million number +0.5%
2008 13.48 million number +0.4%
2009 13.53 million number +0.3%
2010 13.55 million number +0.2%
2011 13.54 million number -0.0%
2012 13.54 million number -0.0%
2013 13.51 million number -0.2%
2014 13.47 million number -0.3%
2015 13.39 million number -0.6%
2016 13.27 million number -0.9%
2017 13.11 million number -1.2%
2018 12.88 million number -1.7%
2019 12.63 million number -2.0%
2020 12.38 million number -1.9%

India compared with similar countries

  • India's 12.38 million number is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 120,878 number, 102.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • India's 12.38 million number is above the median for South Asia, which is 222,194 number, 55.7× the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 8.45 million number 7.79 million number 9.21 million number 10
1980s 10.33 million number 9.40 million number 11.45 million number 10
1990s 12.38 million number 11.72 million number 12.84 million number 10
2000s 13.24 million number 12.91 million number 13.53 million number 10
2010s 13.29 million number 12.63 million number 13.55 million number 10
2020s 12.38 million number 12.38 million number 12.38 million number 1

Countries ranked near India

  1. 2 China 9.30 million number compare
  2. 3 Nigeria 3.08 million number compare
  3. 4 Pakistan 2.70 million number compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in India?
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in India was 12.38 million number in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, male recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 13.55 million number in 2010.
What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, male recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 7.79 million number in 1970.
How does India rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, male?
India ranks 1st out of 206 countries with data for 2020.
Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, male rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in India. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-the-official-entrance-age-to-primary-education-male-number/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male (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

Male 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.