Primary education, pupils in Arab World

Arab World: Primary education, pupils was 55.62 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
55.62 million
Change on year
up 0.8%
Rank
33rd
of 45 groups
All-time high
55.62 million
in 2024
All-time low
17.79 million
in 1971
Years of data
55
1970–2024

Primary education, pupils in Arab World, 1970–2024

20.0M30.0M40.0M50.0M60.0M197019972024

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

In 2024, primary education, pupils in Arab World stood at 55.62 million. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.

The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 25.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Arab World peaked at 55.62 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 17.79 million, in 1971.

That places Arab World 33rd out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.

Primary education, pupils in Arab World, year by year

Annual values for Primary education, pupils in Arab World, 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 18.41 million —
1971 17.79 million -3.4%
1972 18.49 million +4.0%
1973 19.16 million +3.6%
1974 19.62 million +2.4%
1975 20.34 million +3.7%
1976 21.16 million +4.0%
1977 21.83 million +3.2%
1978 22.38 million +2.5%
1979 20.79 million -7.1%
1980 24.09 million +15.9%
1981 24.56 million +1.9%
1982 25.24 million +2.8%
1983 25.95 million +2.8%
1984 26.74 million +3.0%
1985 27.27 million +2.0%
1986 28.10 million +3.0%
1987 29.08 million +3.5%
1988 29.95 million +3.0%
1989 30.53 million +1.9%
1990 30.38 million -0.5%
1991 31.59 million +4.0%
1992 31.18 million -1.3%
1993 31.91 million +2.3%
1994 33.42 million +4.7%
1995 33.34 million -0.2%
1996 34.53 million +3.6%
1997 35.14 million +1.8%
1998 35.54 million +1.1%
1999 36.20 million +1.9%
2000 36.66 million +1.3%
2001 37.25 million +1.6%
2002 37.91 million +1.8%
2003 37.67 million -0.6%
2004 38.02 million +1.0%
2005 39.78 million +4.6%
2006 40.65 million +2.2%
2007 40.70 million +0.1%
2008 41.18 million +1.2%
2009 41.16 million -0.0%
2010 41.94 million +1.9%
2011 42.18 million +0.6%
2012 43.54 million +3.2%
2013 42.86 million -1.6%
2014 44.48 million +3.8%
2015 45.58 million +2.5%
2016 46.86 million +2.8%
2017 48.36 million +3.2%
2018 49.72 million +2.8%
2019 51.11 million +2.8%
2020 52.56 million +2.8%
2021 53.49 million +1.8%
2022 53.57 million +0.1%
2023 55.19 million +3.0%
2024 55.62 million +0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 20.00 million 17.79 million 22.38 million 10
1980s 27.15 million 24.09 million 30.53 million 10
1990s 33.32 million 30.38 million 36.20 million 10
2000s 39.10 million 36.66 million 41.18 million 10
2010s 45.66 million 41.94 million 51.11 million 10
2020s 54.08 million 52.56 million 55.62 million 5

Countries ranked near Arab World

  1. 30 Sudan 5.23 million compare
  2. 31 Ghana 4.98 million compare
  3. 32 United Kingdom 4.86 million compare
  4. 33 Iraq 4.86 million compare
  5. 34 Cote d'Ivoire 4.82 million compare
  6. 35 Malawi 4.75 million compare
  7. 36 Morocco 4.61 million compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for Arab World

All data for Arab World →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary education, pupils in Arab World?
Primary education, pupils in Arab World was 55.62 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Arab World?
The highest recorded value was 55.62 million in 2024.
What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Arab World?
The lowest recorded value was 17.79 million in 1971.
How does Arab World rank for primary education, pupils?
Arab World ranks 33rd out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Arab World?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Arab World data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Primary education, pupils in Arab World. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 24 October 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/primary-education-pupils/arab-world/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/primary-education-pupils/arab-world/">Primary education, pupils in Arab World</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Primary education, pupils
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 11,297 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.