Primary education, pupils in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries): Primary education, pupils was 26.07 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
26.07 million
Change on year
down 0.1%
Rank
37th
of 43 groups
All-time high
30.97 million
in 1996
All-time low
23.10 million
in 2013
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Primary education, pupils in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 26.07 million for primary education, pupils in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 30.97 million in 1996 and was at its lowest, 23.10 million, in 2013.
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 37th 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 (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 28.06 million | — |
| 1971 | 29.19 million | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 28.39 million | -2.7% |
| 1973 | 27.69 million | -2.5% |
| 1974 | 27.09 million | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 26.41 million | -2.5% |
| 1976 | 26.17 million | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 25.95 million | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 25.96 million | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 26.32 million | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 27.66 million | +5.1% |
| 1981 | 25.84 million | -6.6% |
| 1982 | 27.52 million | +6.5% |
| 1983 | 27.99 million | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 28.77 million | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 29.10 million | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 28.62 million | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 30.06 million | +5.0% |
| 1988 | 30.89 million | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 29.28 million | -5.2% |
| 1990 | 30.06 million | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 30.39 million | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 30.50 million | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 30.52 million | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 30.48 million | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 30.14 million | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 30.97 million | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 30.73 million | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 30.29 million | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 29.43 million | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 28.27 million | -4.0% |
| 2001 | 27.57 million | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 27.03 million | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 26.19 million | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 26.78 million | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 25.50 million | -4.8% |
| 2006 | 24.73 million | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 24.14 million | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 23.70 million | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 23.32 million | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 23.31 million | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 23.42 million | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 23.49 million | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 23.10 million | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 23.44 million | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 23.69 million | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 24.27 million | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 24.73 million | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 25.53 million | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 26.13 million | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 25.54 million | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 25.92 million | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 26.15 million | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 26.10 million | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 26.07 million | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 27.12 million | 25.95 million | 29.19 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 28.57 million | 25.84 million | 30.89 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.35 million | 29.43 million | 30.97 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.72 million | 23.32 million | 28.27 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.11 million | 23.10 million | 26.13 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.96 million | 25.54 million | 26.15 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
More education data for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Population ages 0-14 19.8% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.4% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 1.45 million (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 97.0% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 1.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0031 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 96.8% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 97.3% (2024)
- Labor force, female 44.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Primary education, pupils in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) was 26.07 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 (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 30.97 million in 1996.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.10 million in 2013.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for primary education, pupils?
- Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 37th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 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).
About this data
Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.