Primary education, teachers in India
India: Primary education, teachers was 5.19 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Primary education, teachers in India, 1971–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2025, primary education, teachers in India stood at 5.19 million. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, teachers in India peaked at 5.19 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.38 million, in 1971.
That places India 2nd out of 204 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Primary education, teachers in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.38 million | — |
| 1972 | 1.41 million | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 1.47 million | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 1.48 million | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 1.55 million | +4.2% |
| 1976 | 1.56 million | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 1.60 million | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 2.77 million | +73.5% |
| 2000 | 2.84 million | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 2.84 million | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 2.83 million | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 3.04 million | +7.2% |
| 2011 | 3.92 million | +29.0% |
| 2013 | 4.37 million | +11.5% |
| 2014 | 4.40 million | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 4.40 million | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 4.37 million | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 4.34 million | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 4.60 million | +6.0% |
| 2021 | 4.65 million | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 4.66 million | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 4.82 million | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 5.02 million | +4.1% |
| 2025 | 5.19 million | +3.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 5.19 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 46,016, 112.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 5.19 million is above the median for South Asia, which is 115,394, 45.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary education, teachers in India 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +73.5% | 1.60 million | 2.77 million |
| 2011 | +29.0% | 3.04 million | 3.92 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.49 million | 1.38 million | 1.60 million | 7 |
| 1990s | 2.77 million | 2.77 million | 2.77 million | 1 |
| 2000s | 2.89 million | 2.83 million | 3.04 million | 4 |
| 2010s | 4.30 million | 3.92 million | 4.40 million | 6 |
| 2020s | 4.82 million | 4.60 million | 5.19 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.31 million (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 3.10 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19.37 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.52 million (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 133.16 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 126.12 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -8.85 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0862 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, teachers in India?
- Primary education, teachers in India was 5.19 million in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, teachers recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 5.19 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest primary education, teachers recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.38 million in 1971.
- How does India rank for primary education, teachers?
- India ranks 2nd out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary education, teachers rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. 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, teachers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.