Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number) in World

World: Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number) was 22.47 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
22.47 million number
Change on year
down 3.5%
Rank
1st
of 44 groups
All-time high
45.00 million number
in 1980
All-time low
22.47 million number
in 2019
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in World, 1970–2019

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M50.0M197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in World is 22.47 million number, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.5% on the previous year and down 30.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in World peaked at 45.00 million number in 1980 and was at its lowest, 22.47 million number, in 2019.

That places World 1st out of 44 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.

Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number) in World, year by year

Annual values for Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number) in World, 1970 to 2019.
Year number Change
1970 39.76 million number —
1971 40.38 million number +1.5%
1972 41.50 million number +2.8%
1973 42.82 million number +3.2%
1974 43.05 million number +0.5%
1975 43.45 million number +0.9%
1976 43.82 million number +0.9%
1977 44.33 million number +1.1%
1978 44.31 million number -0.0%
1979 43.91 million number -0.9%
1980 45.00 million number +2.5%
1981 44.62 million number -0.9%
1982 44.54 million number -0.2%
1983 44.05 million number -1.1%
1984 43.20 million number -1.9%
1985 41.90 million number -3.0%
1986 42.26 million number +0.9%
1987 40.44 million number -4.3%
1988 40.57 million number +0.3%
1989 40.51 million number -0.2%
1990 39.50 million number -2.5%
1991 39.07 million number -1.1%
1992 37.44 million number -4.2%
1993 36.54 million number -2.4%
1994 36.33 million number -0.6%
1995 36.24 million number -0.2%
1996 35.19 million number -2.9%
1997 34.13 million number -3.0%
1998 34.72 million number +1.7%
1999 34.28 million number -1.3%
2000 34.48 million number +0.6%
2001 32.97 million number -4.4%
2002 32.70 million number -0.8%
2003 32.13 million number -1.7%
2004 32.58 million number +1.4%
2005 32.26 million number -1.0%
2006 31.80 million number -1.4%
2007 32.22 million number +1.3%
2008 31.51 million number -2.2%
2009 32.44 million number +2.9%
2010 32.32 million number -0.4%
2011 32.10 million number -0.7%
2012 28.78 million number -10.3%
2013 27.34 million number -5.0%
2014 25.13 million number -8.1%
2015 23.37 million number -7.0%
2016 23.31 million number -0.3%
2017 23.39 million number +0.4%
2018 23.28 million number -0.5%
2019 22.47 million number -3.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 42.73 million number 39.76 million number 44.33 million number 10
1980s 42.71 million number 40.44 million number 45.00 million number 10
1990s 36.34 million number 34.13 million number 39.50 million number 10
2000s 32.51 million number 31.51 million number 34.48 million number 10
2010s 26.15 million number 22.47 million number 32.32 million number 10

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 Brazil 1.44 million number compare
  2. 2 Democratic Republic of Congo 1.36 million number compare
  3. 3 Ethiopia 1.11 million number compare
  4. 4 Madagascar 1.09 million number compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More education data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in World?
Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in World was 22.47 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 45.00 million number in 1980.
What is the lowest repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 22.47 million number in 2019.
How does World rank for repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes?
World ranks 1st out of 44 groups with data for 2019.
Is repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 30.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/repeaters-in-primary-education-all-grades-both-sexes-number/world/

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About this data

Indicator
Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 7,144 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Number of pupils enrolled in the same grade for a second (or further) year.