Primary education, pupils in Italy
Italy: Primary education, pupils was 2.63 million in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2.63 million
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
58th
of 206 countries
All-time high
4.97 million
in 1973
All-time low
2.63 million
in 2023
Years of data
53
1971–2023
Primary education, pupils in Italy, 1971–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary education, pupils in Italy is 2.63 million, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Italy peaked at 4.97 million in 1973 and was at its lowest, 2.63 million, in 2023.
That places Italy 58th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Primary education, pupils in Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.86 million | — |
| 1972 | 4.93 million | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 4.97 million | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 4.97 million | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 4.93 million | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 4.83 million | -1.9% |
| 1977 | 4.74 million | -2.0% |
| 1978 | 4.65 million | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 4.56 million | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 4.51 million | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 4.42 million | -1.9% |
| 1982 | 4.33 million | -2.0% |
| 1983 | 4.20 million | -3.0% |
| 1984 | 4.06 million | -3.4% |
| 1985 | 3.90 million | -3.9% |
| 1986 | 3.70 million | -5.1% |
| 1987 | 3.52 million | -5.0% |
| 1988 | 3.37 million | -4.2% |
| 1989 | 3.24 million | -3.9% |
| 1990 | 3.14 million | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 3.06 million | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 3.00 million | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 2.96 million | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 2.86 million | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 2.82 million | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 2.82 million | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2.81 million | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 2.82 million | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 2.88 million | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 2.84 million | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 2.81 million | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 2.79 million | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 2.78 million | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 2.77 million | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 2.77 million | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 2.79 million | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 2.82 million | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 2.83 million | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 2.82 million | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 2.82 million | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 2.83 million | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 2.82 million | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 2.86 million | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 2.86 million | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 2.86 million | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 2.83 million | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 2.90 million | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 2.87 million | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 2.83 million | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 2.76 million | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 2.67 million | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 2.63 million | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 2.63 million | -0.2% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 2.63 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 236,668, 11.1× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Italy's 2.63 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 432,238, 6.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.83 million | 4.56 million | 4.97 million | 9 |
| 1980s | 3.93 million | 3.24 million | 4.51 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.92 million | 2.81 million | 3.14 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.80 million | 2.77 million | 2.84 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.85 million | 2.82 million | 2.90 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.67 million | 2.63 million | 2.76 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More education data for Italy
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 423,797 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 6,592 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 667,641 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 620,157 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.63 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.167 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0445 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Italy?
- Primary education, pupils in Italy was 2.63 million in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 4.97 million in 1973.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.63 million in 2023.
- How does Italy rank for primary education, pupils?
- Italy ranks 58th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy 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
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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.