Primary education, pupils in France
France: Primary education, pupils was 4.13 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Primary education, pupils in France, 1971–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2024, primary education, pupils in France stood at 4.13 million.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in France peaked at 4.94 million in 1971 and was at its lowest, 3.78 million, in 2004.
France ranks 41st of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.71 million | 4.57 million | 4.94 million | 9 |
| 1980s | 4.31 million | 4.12 million | 4.65 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.06 million | 3.94 million | 4.16 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.96 million | 3.78 million | 4.15 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.23 million | 4.16 million | 4.31 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.21 million | 4.13 million | 4.28 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near France
More education data for France
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 61.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 16.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 103.4% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 229,471 (2013)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.64 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 103.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in France?
- Primary education, pupils in France was 4.13 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 4.94 million in 1971.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.78 million in 2004.
- How does France rank for primary education, pupils?
- France ranks 41st out of 206 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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 — 54 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.