Primary education, pupils in Euro area

Euro area: Primary education, pupils was 18.29 million in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
18.29 million
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
39th
of 45 groups
All-time high
24.22 million
in 1972
All-time low
18.04 million
in 2004
Years of data
55
1970–2024

Primary education, pupils in Euro area, 1970–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M197019972024

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

Analysis

In 2024, primary education, pupils in Euro area stood at 18.29 million.

That represents a change of up 0.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Euro area peaked at 24.22 million in 1972 and was at its lowest, 18.04 million, in 2004.

That places Euro area 39th out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Primary education, pupils in Euro area, year by year

Annual values for Primary education, pupils in Euro area, 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 18.86 million
1971 24.08 million +27.7%
1972 24.22 million +0.6%
1973 23.99 million -0.9%
1974 24.06 million +0.3%
1975 23.96 million -0.4%
1976 23.82 million -0.6%
1977 23.62 million -0.8%
1978 23.50 million -0.5%
1979 23.36 million -0.6%
1980 23.20 million -0.7%
1981 22.98 million -1.0%
1982 22.75 million -1.0%
1983 22.35 million -1.8%
1984 21.94 million -1.8%
1985 21.62 million -1.4%
1986 21.25 million -1.7%
1987 21.05 million -0.9%
1988 20.75 million -1.4%
1989 20.10 million -3.1%
1990 20.03 million -0.4%
1991 19.53 million -2.4%
1992 19.21 million -1.7%
1993 19.11 million -0.5%
1994 19.04 million -0.4%
1995 18.92 million -0.6%
1996 19.37 million +2.4%
1997 19.22 million -0.8%
1998 19.29 million +0.4%
1999 19.12 million -0.9%
2000 18.86 million -1.4%
2001 18.56 million -1.6%
2002 18.27 million -1.5%
2003 18.12 million -0.8%
2004 18.04 million -0.5%
2005 18.18 million +0.8%
2006 18.22 million +0.2%
2007 18.38 million +0.8%
2008 18.39 million +0.1%
2009 18.33 million -0.3%
2010 18.26 million -0.3%
2011 18.23 million -0.2%
2012 18.17 million -0.3%
2013 18.29 million +0.7%
2014 18.29 million -0.0%
2015 18.43 million +0.8%
2016 18.49 million +0.3%
2017 18.70 million +1.1%
2018 18.71 million +0.1%
2019 18.67 million -0.2%
2020 18.54 million -0.7%
2021 18.31 million -1.3%
2022 18.15 million -0.8%
2023 18.29 million +0.8%
2024 18.29 million +0.0%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Primary education, pupils in Euro area changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1971 +27.7% 18.86 million 24.08 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 23.35 million 18.86 million 24.22 million 10
1980s 21.80 million 20.10 million 23.20 million 10
1990s 19.28 million 18.92 million 20.03 million 10
2000s 18.33 million 18.04 million 18.86 million 10
2010s 18.42 million 18.17 million 18.71 million 10
2020s 18.32 million 18.15 million 18.54 million 5

Countries ranked near Euro area

  1. 36 Morocco 4.61 million compare
  2. 37 Argentina 4.58 million compare
  3. 38 Zambia 4.49 million compare
  4. 39 Thailand 4.45 million compare
  5. 40 Colombia 4.14 million compare
  6. 41 France 4.13 million compare
  7. 42 Yemen 3.90 million compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for Euro area

All data for Euro area →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary education, pupils in Euro area?
Primary education, pupils in Euro area was 18.29 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Euro area?
The highest recorded value was 24.22 million in 1972.
What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Euro area?
The lowest recorded value was 18.04 million in 2004.
How does Euro area rank for primary education, pupils?
Euro area ranks 39th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Euro area?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Euro area 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.

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Primary education, pupils in Euro area. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/primary-education-pupils/euro-area/

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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.