Primary education, pupils in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Primary education, pupils was 3.45 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary education, pupils in Saudi Arabia, 1979–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2024, primary education, pupils in Saudi Arabia stood at 3.45 million. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is up 4.1% on the previous year and up 22.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Saudi Arabia peaked at 3.45 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 797,785, in 1979.
Saudi Arabia ranks 46th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Primary education, pupils in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 797,785 | — |
| 2005 | 3.10 million | +288.3% |
| 2007 | 3.17 million | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 3.21 million | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 3.26 million | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 3.32 million | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 3.35 million | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 3.44 million | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 2.70 million | -21.5% |
| 2014 | 2.81 million | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 2.91 million | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 3.04 million | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 3.20 million | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 3.21 million | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 3.15 million | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 3.24 million | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 3.23 million | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 3.31 million | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 3.45 million | +4.1% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 3.45 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 236,668, 14.6× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 3.45 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.12 million, 3.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary education, pupils in Saudi Arabia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +288.3% | 797,785 | 3.10 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 797,785 | 797,785 | 797,785 | 1 |
| 2000s | 3.18 million | 3.10 million | 3.26 million | 4 |
| 2010s | 3.11 million | 2.70 million | 3.44 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.31 million | 3.23 million | 3.45 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Saudi Arabia?
- Primary education, pupils in Saudi Arabia was 3.45 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.45 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 797,785 in 1979.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for primary education, pupils?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 46th out of 206 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 19 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.