Primary education, pupils in India
India: Primary education, pupils was 126.12 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Primary education, pupils in India, 1971–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2025, primary education, pupils in India stood at 126.12 million.
That represents a change of down 8.9% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in India peaked at 139.87 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 57.05 million, in 1971.
India ranks 1st of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 64.10 million | 57.05 million | 69.06 million | 9 |
| 1980s | 82.80 million | 71.18 million | 95.74 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 106.12 million | 97.32 million | 110.99 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 126.23 million | 113.61 million | 139.32 million | 7 |
| 2010s | 129.42 million | 120.05 million | 139.87 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 128.48 million | 121.70 million | 138.37 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 68.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 111.0% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers 5.19 million (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.96 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 110.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in India?
- Primary education, pupils in India was 126.12 million in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 139.87 million in 2012.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.05 million in 1971.
- How does India rank for primary education, pupils?
- India ranks 1st out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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 — 52 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.