Primary education, pupils in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income): Primary education, pupils was 179.31 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
179.31 million
Change on year
up 0.6%
Rank
15th
of 43 groups
All-time high
211.44 million
in 1998
All-time low
143.03 million
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Primary education, pupils in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2024, primary education, pupils in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) stood at 179.31 million.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) peaked at 211.44 million in 1998 and was at its lowest, 143.03 million, in 1970.
That places East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 15th out of 43 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Primary education, pupils in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 143.03 million | — |
| 1971 | 148.38 million | +3.7% |
| 1972 | 156.52 million | +5.5% |
| 1973 | 171.03 million | +9.3% |
| 1974 | 182.25 million | +6.6% |
| 1975 | 192.97 million | +5.9% |
| 1976 | 200.73 million | +4.0% |
| 1977 | 201.85 million | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 200.75 million | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 202.01 million | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 204.72 million | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 206.25 million | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 205.31 million | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 202.78 million | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 200.04 million | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 200.53 million | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 198.91 million | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 198.03 million | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 195.34 million | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 193.09 million | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 191.19 million | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 190.81 million | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 190.88 million | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 192.03 million | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 194.84 million | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 198.73 million | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 202.80 million | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 207.22 million | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 211.44 million | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 211.29 million | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 206.07 million | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 201.36 million | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 190.74 million | -5.3% |
| 2003 | 178.82 million | -6.2% |
| 2004 | 190.31 million | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 183.38 million | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 178.65 million | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 177.61 million | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 175.81 million | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 173.91 million | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 172.00 million | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 171.25 million | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 171.40 million | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 170.30 million | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 167.06 million | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 167.80 million | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 169.85 million | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 171.60 million | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 172.75 million | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 175.50 million | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 177.68 million | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 178.96 million | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 179.23 million | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 178.29 million | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 179.31 million | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 179.95 million | 143.03 million | 202.01 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 200.50 million | 193.09 million | 206.25 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 199.12 million | 190.81 million | 211.44 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 185.67 million | 173.91 million | 206.07 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 170.95 million | 167.06 million | 175.50 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 178.70 million | 177.68 million | 179.31 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- 12 Mexico 13.19 million compare
- 13 Philippines 13.06 million compare
- 14 Tanzania, United Republic of 11.39 million compare
- 15 Iran, Islamic Republic of 9.09 million compare
- 16 Viet Nam 8.88 million compare
- 17 Uganda 8.84 million compare
- 18 Kenya 8.04 million compare
More education data for East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- Population ages 0-14 18.2% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 69.1% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 10.13 million (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 100.0% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 10.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0047 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 100.0% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 99.9% (2024)
- Labor force, female 44.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Primary education, pupils in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) was 179.31 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 211.44 million in 1998.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 143.03 million in 1970.
- How does East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) rank for primary education, pupils?
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 15th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 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
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About this data
Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.