Primary education, pupils in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): Primary education, pupils was 15.66 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Primary education, pupils in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary education, pupils in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) is 15.66 million, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) peaked at 17.73 million in 1988 and was at its lowest, 13.88 million, in 2013.
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 38th of 43 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Primary education, pupils in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 16.82 million | — |
| 1971 | 15.61 million | -7.2% |
| 1972 | 15.56 million | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 15.52 million | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 15.44 million | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 15.33 million | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 15.40 million | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 15.34 million | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 15.35 million | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 15.56 million | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 16.68 million | +7.2% |
| 1981 | 14.40 million | -13.7% |
| 1982 | 16.13 million | +12.0% |
| 1983 | 16.37 million | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 16.91 million | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 17.00 million | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 15.97 million | -6.0% |
| 1987 | 17.08 million | +7.0% |
| 1988 | 17.73 million | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 16.07 million | -9.3% |
| 1990 | 16.80 million | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 16.93 million | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 16.94 million | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 16.86 million | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 16.89 million | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 16.47 million | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 17.31 million | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 17.34 million | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 17.45 million | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 17.36 million | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 17.03 million | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 16.99 million | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 16.80 million | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 16.27 million | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 16.11 million | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 16.01 million | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 15.56 million | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 15.27 million | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 15.04 million | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 14.72 million | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 14.69 million | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 14.67 million | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 14.57 million | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 13.88 million | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 14.18 million | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 14.16 million | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 14.48 million | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 14.51 million | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 14.95 million | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 15.34 million | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 15.48 million | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 15.60 million | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 15.68 million | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 15.69 million | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 15.66 million | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15.59 million | 15.33 million | 16.82 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.43 million | 14.40 million | 17.73 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.04 million | 16.47 million | 17.45 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.98 million | 14.72 million | 17.03 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.54 million | 13.88 million | 15.34 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.63 million | 15.48 million | 15.69 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
More education data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- Population ages 0-14 22.7% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.7% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 906,553 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 96.7% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0036 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 906,553 (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 96.2% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 97.1% (2024)
- Labor force, female 39.9% (2025)
All data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Primary education, pupils in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) was 15.66 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 17.73 million in 1988.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.88 million in 2013.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) rank for primary education, pupils?
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 38th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (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.
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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.