Primary education, pupils in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Primary education, pupils was 91.90 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary education, pupils in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary education, pupils in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 91.90 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 26.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 91.90 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 23.92 million, in 1971.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Primary education, pupils in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 24.31 million | — |
| 1971 | 23.92 million | -1.6% |
| 1972 | 24.58 million | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 25.50 million | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 26.54 million | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 27.89 million | +5.1% |
| 1976 | 29.28 million | +5.0% |
| 1977 | 30.53 million | +4.3% |
| 1978 | 30.87 million | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 28.82 million | -6.6% |
| 1980 | 32.81 million | +13.8% |
| 1981 | 33.53 million | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 34.33 million | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 35.84 million | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 37.31 million | +4.1% |
| 1985 | 38.66 million | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 40.23 million | +4.1% |
| 1987 | 42.24 million | +5.0% |
| 1988 | 44.01 million | +4.2% |
| 1989 | 45.37 million | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 46.11 million | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 48.40 million | +5.0% |
| 1992 | 48.98 million | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 50.47 million | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 52.78 million | +4.6% |
| 1995 | 53.27 million | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 54.78 million | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 55.52 million | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 56.17 million | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 56.69 million | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 57.05 million | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 57.47 million | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 59.73 million | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 60.54 million | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 62.09 million | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 64.18 million | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 64.30 million | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 65.44 million | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 65.89 million | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 66.01 million | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 67.28 million | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 66.91 million | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 68.73 million | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 70.25 million | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 72.84 million | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 74.40 million | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 77.58 million | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 79.32 million | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 82.06 million | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 84.38 million | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 86.18 million | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 87.48 million | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 87.72 million | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 90.41 million | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 91.90 million | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 27.22 million | 23.92 million | 30.87 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 38.43 million | 32.81 million | 45.37 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.32 million | 46.11 million | 56.69 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.27 million | 57.05 million | 66.01 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.38 million | 66.91 million | 84.38 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.74 million | 86.18 million | 91.90 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More education data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.29 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 68.09 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91.90 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.113 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 31.7% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.1% (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Primary education, pupils in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 91.90 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 91.90 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.92 million in 1971.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for primary education, pupils?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.