School age population, early childhood education, both sexes (number) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
207
Highest
66.02 million
India
Lowest
43
Saint Helena
Median
495,865
Years covered
55
1971–2025
Data points
9,808
What the numbers show
School age population, early childhood education, both sexes (number) is currently reported for 207 countries. The highest value is 66.02 million in India; the lowest is 43 in Saint Helena.
The median across all reporting countries is 495,865, and the mean is 2.17 million.
Over the past decade 93 countries rose and 114 fell. The largest increase was in Gibraltar (up 355.2%), and the largest decrease in Puerto Rico (down 43.1%).
School age population, early childhood education, both sexes: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 66.02 million | 2025 | down 8.8% | falling |
| 2 | China | 36.57 million | 2025 | down 30.9% | falling |
| 3 | Nigeria | 33.25 million | 2025 | up 5.3% | rising |
| 4 | Indonesia | 31.17 million | 2025 | down 8.6% | flat |
| 5 | Brazil | 15.78 million | 2024 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 6 | Pakistan | 12.58 million | 2025 | up 3.5% | falling |
| 7 | Mexico | 12.38 million | 2024 | down 7.6% | falling |
| 8 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 11.24 million | 2025 | up 38.6% | rising |
| 9 | Ethiopia | 11.02 million | 2025 | up 20.6% | rising |
| 10 | Bangladesh | 9.79 million | 2025 | up 3.8% | falling |
| 11 | Russian Federation | 8.49 million | 2025 | down 21.0% | rising |
| 12 | Viet Nam | 8.45 million | 2025 | down 9.5% | rising |
| 13 | South Africa | 8.19 million | 2025 | up 3.1% | rising |
| 14 | Yemen | 7.71 million | 2025 | up 35.3% | rising |
| 15 | Türkiye | 6.65 million | 2025 | down 11.9% | falling |
| 16 | Egypt | 4.72 million | 2025 | up 0.5% | rising |
| 17 | Uganda | 4.69 million | 2025 | up 22.0% | rising |
| 18 | Germany | 4.60 million | 2024 | up 11.8% | rising |
| 19 | Colombia | 4.51 million | 2024 | down 0.5% | rising |
| 20 | Myanmar | 4.38 million | 2025 | down 1.8% | falling |
| 21 | Ghana | 4.22 million | 2025 | up 5.4% | rising |
| 22 | Kenya | 4.16 million | 2025 | down 1.9% | rising |
| 23 | Angola | 3.66 million | 2025 | up 307.1% | volatile |
| 24 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 3.58 million | 2024 | down 10.3% | falling |
| 25 | Thailand | 3.46 million | 2025 | down 9.5% | falling |
| 26 | Mozambique | 3.33 million | 2025 | up 25.7% | rising |
| 27 | Uzbekistan | 3.25 million | 2025 | up 28.0% | rising |
| 28 | Peru | 3.22 million | 2025 | down 3.7% | falling |
| 29 | Argentina | 3.16 million | 2025 | down 29.1% | falling |
| 30 | Morocco | 3.16 million | 2025 | down 7.0% | falling |
| 31 | Sudan | 2.93 million | 2025 | up 20.0% | rising |
| 32 | Madagascar | 2.71 million | 2025 | up 19.1% | rising |
| 33 | Guatemala | 2.63 million | 2025 | down 4.3% | rising |
| 34 | Niger | 2.63 million | 2025 | up 31.8% | rising |
| 35 | Japan | 2.62 million | 2025 | down 17.1% | falling |
| 36 | Zambia | 2.46 million | 2025 | up 16.4% | rising |
| 37 | Côte d'Ivoire | 2.46 million | 2025 | up 11.3% | rising |
| 38 | Mali | 2.35 million | 2025 | down 7.6% | rising |
| 39 | Canada | 2.28 million | 2025 | down 2.0% | rising |
| 40 | Iraq | 2.20 million | 2025 | up 3.8% | rising |
| 41 | France | 2.17 million | 2024 | down 12.5% | flat |
| 42 | Cambodia | 2.16 million | 2025 | up 1.7% | rising |
| 43 | Philippines | 2.15 million | 2025 | down 12.6% | rising |
| 44 | Spain | 2.14 million | 2024 | down 24.3% | falling |
| 45 | Kazakhstan | 2.12 million | 2025 | down 6.0% | falling |
| 46 | Saudi Arabia | 2.10 million | 2025 | down 2.1% | flat |
| 47 | Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | 2.09 million | 2025 | down 27.2% | falling |
| 48 | Chad | 2.07 million | 2025 | up 32.0% | rising |
| 49 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 2.04 million | 2025 | down 34.9% | rising |
| 50 | Somalia | 1.98 million | 2025 | up 48.7% | rising |
| 51 | Burkina Faso | 1.96 million | 2025 | up 5.7% | rising |
| 52 | Malawi | 1.82 million | 2025 | up 9.0% | rising |
| 53 | Cameroon | 1.72 million | 2025 | up 23.3% | rising |
| 54 | Republic of Korea | 1.62 million | 2024 | down 41.1% | falling |
| 55 | Poland | 1.52 million | 2024 | down 8.8% | flat |
| 56 | Australia | 1.51 million | 2024 | down 2.0% | rising |
| 57 | Haiti | 1.47 million | 2025 | down 1.4% | flat |
| 58 | Senegal | 1.44 million | 2025 | up 9.3% | falling |
| 59 | Chile | 1.42 million | 2025 | down 5.2% | falling |
| 60 | North Korea | 1.37 million | 2025 | up 5.0% | falling |
| 61 | Syria | 1.37 million | 2025 | down 21.0% | falling |
| 62 | Ukraine | 1.36 million | 2025 | down 42.9% | falling |
| 63 | Italy | 1.30 million | 2024 | down 23.4% | falling |
| 64 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 1.29 million | 2025 | down 3.3% | rising |
| 65 | Burundi | 1.28 million | 2025 | up 73.4% | rising |
| 66 | Guinea | 1.26 million | 2025 | up 19.1% | rising |
| 67 | Afghanistan | 1.26 million | 2025 | up 20.4% | rising |
| 68 | Sierra Leone | 1.16 million | 2025 | up 85.9% | rising |
| 69 | Romania | 1.13 million | 2024 | down 4.4% | flat |
| 70 | Israel | 1.10 million | 2025 | up 10.4% | rising |
| 71 | Nepal | 1.10 million | 2025 | down 5.8% | falling |
| 72 | Tajikistan | 1.06 million | 2025 | up 17.9% | rising |
| 73 | Rwanda | 1.02 million | 2025 | up 12.5% | rising |
| 74 | Algeria | 987,399 | 2025 | up 18.5% | falling |
| 75 | Mauritania | 976,468 | 2025 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 76 | Papua New Guinea | 973,751 | 2025 | up 12.1% | volatile |
| 77 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 949,031 | 2025 | up 2.6% | flat |
| 78 | Kyrgyzstan | 945,524 | 2025 | up 9.5% | rising |
| 79 | Malaysia | 941,282 | 2025 | down 8.2% | flat |
| 80 | Zimbabwe | 896,720 | 2025 | down 0.2% | rising |
| 81 | South Sudan | 886,447 | 2025 | down 16.2% | rising |
| 82 | Benin | 843,419 | 2025 | up 22.5% | rising |
| 83 | Ecuador | 834,917 | 2025 | down 13.8% | rising |
| 84 | Turkmenistan | 798,314 | 2025 | up 13.6% | rising |
| 85 | Togo | 792,466 | 2025 | up 13.5% | rising |
| 86 | Nicaragua | 785,478 | 2025 | down 3.1% | falling |
| 87 | Belgium | 713,791 | 2024 | down 5.4% | falling |
| 88 | Sweden | 698,422 | 2024 | up 0.8% | rising |
| 89 | El Salvador | 688,820 | 2025 | down 14.1% | rising |
| 90 | Honduras | 679,772 | 2025 | up 5.5% | rising |
| 91 | Paraguay | 675,899 | 2025 | up 6.4% | rising |
| 92 | Azerbaijan | 669,831 | 2025 | down 19.4% | rising |
| 93 | Sri Lanka | 651,683 | 2025 | down 9.0% | rising |
| 94 | Hungary | 645,852 | 2024 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 95 | Cuba | 586,369 | 2025 | down 22.0% | falling |
| 96 | Namibia | 562,057 | 2025 | up 26.1% | rising |
| 97 | Dominican Republic | 561,813 | 2025 | down 3.5% | falling |
| 98 | Tunisia | 547,998 | 2025 | down 9.4% | rising |
| 99 | Central African Republic | 537,786 | 2025 | up 9.9% | rising |
| 100 | Oman | 524,669 | 2025 | up 16.4% | rising |
| 101 | Congo | 524,621 | 2025 | up 8.7% | rising |
| 102 | Netherlands | 522,579 | 2024 | down 6.1% | rising |
| 103 | Austria | 514,058 | 2024 | up 7.1% | rising |
| 104 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 495,865 | 2025 | up 4.6% | rising |
| 105 | United Arab Emirates | 487,006 | 2025 | down 10.0% | falling |
| 106 | Greece | 480,863 | 2024 | down 24.5% | falling |
| 107 | Liberia | 455,441 | 2025 | up 8.6% | rising |
| 108 | Panama | 428,460 | 2025 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 109 | Jordan | 417,816 | 2025 | up 25.8% | rising |
| 110 | Gambia | 377,811 | 2025 | up 8.1% | rising |
| 111 | Serbia | 376,627 | 2025 | down 5.2% | rising |
| 112 | Denmark | 369,598 | 2024 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 113 | Czechia | 347,158 | 2024 | down 4.6% | rising |
| 114 | Norway | 333,876 | 2024 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 115 | Belarus | 320,034 | 2025 | down 28.1% | falling |
| 116 | Costa Rica | 319,356 | 2025 | down 29.8% | falling |
| 117 | New Zealand | 301,470 | 2024 | down 2.2% | rising |
| 118 | Equatorial Guinea | 300,875 | 2025 | up 20.0% | volatile |
| 119 | Finland | 295,160 | 2024 | down 19.4% | falling |
| 120 | Ireland | 293,631 | 2024 | up 317.3% | volatile |
| 121 | Palestine, State of | 285,913 | 2025 | up 11.0% | rising |
| 122 | Mongolia | 282,921 | 2025 | up 3.2% | rising |
| 123 | Singapore | 280,360 | 2025 | up 32.2% | rising |
| 124 | Georgia | 279,767 | 2025 | up 71.5% | rising |
| 125 | Uruguay | 267,570 | 2025 | down 3.7% | falling |
| 126 | Lebanon | 267,068 | 2025 | down 20.2% | rising |
| 127 | Libya | 261,773 | 2025 | down 7.0% | rising |
| 128 | Croatia | 242,582 | 2024 | down 17.0% | falling |
| 129 | Bulgaria | 235,403 | 2024 | down 17.5% | falling |
| 130 | Republic of Moldova | 205,198 | 2020 | down 7.0% | falling |
| 131 | Gabon | 197,877 | 2025 | up 21.7% | rising |
| 132 | Jamaica | 195,216 | 2025 | down 17.9% | falling |
| 133 | Qatar | 190,219 | 2025 | up 33.5% | rising |
| 134 | Switzerland | 180,314 | 2024 | up 12.0% | rising |
| 135 | Eritrea | 179,776 | 2025 | down 1.5% | rising |
| 136 | Slovakia | 177,506 | 2024 | up 1.4% | rising |
| 137 | Lithuania | 177,287 | 2024 | down 13.6% | falling |
| 138 | Botswana | 175,957 | 2025 | up 11.5% | rising |
| 139 | Guinea-Bissau | 175,336 | 2025 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 140 | Lesotho | 158,445 | 2025 | down 0.9% | rising |
| 141 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 152,280 | 2025 | down 3.0% | falling |
| 142 | Hong Kong | 127,500 | 2025 | down 26.8% | falling |
| 143 | Puerto Rico | 117,286 | 2025 | down 43.1% | falling |
| 144 | Bahrain | 116,346 | 2025 | up 15.0% | rising |
| 145 | Kuwait | 114,549 | 2025 | down 6.4% | rising |
| 146 | Latvia | 111,950 | 2024 | down 9.0% | flat |
| 147 | Albania | 106,461 | 2025 | down 36.7% | falling |
| 148 | Armenia | 105,191 | 2025 | down 17.2% | falling |
| 149 | Slovenia | 96,246 | 2024 | down 13.7% | flat |
| 150 | Estonia | 96,193 | 2024 | down 8.2% | falling |
| 151 | Timor-Leste | 95,237 | 2025 | up 2.4% | rising |
| 152 | North Macedonia | 92,634 | 2025 | down 20.3% | falling |
| 153 | Eswatini | 84,319 | 2025 | down 1.1% | falling |
| 154 | Comoros | 67,597 | 2025 | up 10.6% | rising |
| 155 | Solomon Islands | 61,711 | 2025 | up 14.4% | rising |
| 156 | Cyprus | 60,501 | 2024 | up 105.9% | rising |
| 157 | Fiji | 49,421 | 2025 | down 13.2% | falling |
| 158 | Mauritius | 38,119 | 2025 | down 13.3% | falling |
| 159 | Montenegro | 36,768 | 2025 | down 2.8% | falling |
| 160 | Trinidad and Tobago | 33,761 | 2025 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 161 | Guyana | 33,201 | 2025 | up 6.8% | falling |
| 162 | Bhutan | 28,781 | 2025 | up 12.6% | falling |
| 163 | Iceland | 28,117 | 2025 | up 2.0% | flat |
| 164 | Cape Verde | 24,636 | 2025 | down 17.6% | falling |
| 165 | Maldives | 24,336 | 2025 | up 9.2% | rising |
| 166 | Suriname | 21,201 | 2025 | down 4.4% | flat |
| 167 | Brunei Darussalam | 18,881 | 2025 | down 3.2% | flat |
| 168 | Sao Tome and Principe | 18,162 | 2025 | up 7.3% | falling |
| 169 | Vanuatu | 17,521 | 2025 | up 26.3% | rising |
| 170 | Macao | 15,900 | 2025 | up 12.0% | rising |
| 171 | Barbados | 15,668 | 2025 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 172 | Belize | 13,678 | 2025 | down 3.0% | rising |
| 173 | Samoa | 11,150 | 2025 | down 2.0% | rising |
| 174 | Kiribati | 9,686 | 2025 | up 4.8% | rising |
| 175 | Malta | 9,001 | 2024 | up 9.0% | flat |
| 176 | Bahamas | 8,774 | 2025 | down 17.8% | falling |
| 177 | Curacao | 8,492 | 2025 | up 124.5% | rising |
| 178 | Saint Lucia | 8,082 | 2025 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 179 | Micronesia, Federated States of | 7,168 | 2025 | down 5.0% | falling |
| 180 | Grenada | 6,830 | 2025 | down 20.9% | rising |
| 181 | Antigua and Barbuda | 5,514 | 2025 | down 5.3% | falling |
| 182 | Aruba | 5,239 | 2025 | up 104.4% | rising |
| 183 | Tonga | 4,523 | 2025 | down 6.2% | falling |
| 184 | Dominica | 3,575 | 2025 | down 24.2% | flat |
| 185 | Seychelles | 3,533 | 2025 | up 27.6% | rising |
| 186 | Cayman Islands | 3,519 | 2025 | up 10.1% | rising |
| 187 | Marshall Islands | 3,291 | 2025 | up 22.6% | rising |
| 188 | Liechtenstein | 2,658 | 2025 | up 245.2% | volatile |
| 189 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2,486 | 2025 | down 26.5% | falling |
| 190 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 2,242 | 2025 | down 22.7% | falling |
| 191 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2,231 | 2025 | down 5.4% | falling |
| 192 | Gibraltar | 1,889 | 2025 | up 355.2% | volatile |
| 193 | British Virgin Islands | 1,650 | 2025 | down 10.2% | falling |
| 194 | Andorra | 1,348 | 2025 | down 40.8% | falling |
| 195 | San Marino | 1,318 | 2025 | down 33.2% | rising |
| 196 | Monaco | 1,089 | 2025 | up 18.6% | rising |
| 197 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 1,059 | 2025 | up 14.2% | flat |
| 198 | Naoero | 883 | 2025 | down 10.0% | rising |
| 199 | Tuvalu | 623 | 2025 | down 19.3% | falling |
| 200 | Palau | 591 | 2025 | down 18.8% | falling |
| 201 | Bermuda | 569 | 2025 | down 16.4% | falling |
| 202 | Cook Islands | 372 | 2025 | down 39.2% | falling |
| 203 | Anguilla | 281 | 2025 | down 26.8% | falling |
| 204 | Montserrat | 226 | 2025 | up 109.3% | rising |
| 205 | Niue | 98 | 2025 | down 19.7% | falling |
| 206 | Tokelau | 90 | 2025 | up 36.4% | falling |
| 207 | Saint Helena | 43 | 2025 | down 6.5% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- UNICEF: All Unicef Countries 427.62 million
- WB: Ida & Ibrd Total 421.29 million
- WB: Low & Middle Income (july 2025) 416.24 million
- MDG: Developing Regions 413.84 million
- WB: Middle Income (july 2025) 351.65 million
- WB: Ibrd Only 261.08 million
- ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400) 224.09 million
- WB: Early-demographic Dividend 221.22 million
- GPE: Overall Fy24, All 90 Countries, December 2024 216.69 million
- AIMS: Asia and the Pacific 206.35 million
- ESCAP: Wb Lower Middle Income Economies (wb_lower_mid) (unsdcode:98438) 188.97 million
- WB: Lower Middle Income (july 2025) 188.44 million
- WB: Global Partnership for Education (july 2019) 167.43 million
- WB: Ida Total 160.21 million
- WB: Upper Middle Income (july 2025) 153.15 million
- ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106) 132.35 million
- ECA: All Countries (unsdcode:98100) 132.35 million
- ESCAP: Africa (afr) (unsdcode:98405) 132.35 million
- UNICEF: Africa 132.35 million
- MDG: Sub-saharan Africa 122.49 million
- UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa 122.49 million
- WB: Sub-saharan Africa 122.44 million
- WB: Sub-saharan Africa (ida & Ibrd) 122.44 million
- WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) 122.44 million
- ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) 121.53 million
- SDG: Sub-saharan Africa 119.61 million
- GPE: Lower Middle Income Wb Fy24, December 2024 119.29 million
- UIS: Sub-saharan Africa 118.60 million
- GPE: Fragile or Conflict-affected Countries (fcac) Fy24, December 2024 113.89 million
- GPE: Sub-saharan Africa Wb Fy24, December 2024 113.09 million
- WB: East Asia & Pacific 105.10 million
- UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific 104.95 million
- AIMS: East Asia and the Pacific 104.81 million
- UIS: East Asia and the Pacific 104.81 million
- WB: Late-demographic Dividend 104.55 million
- WB: Ida Only 103.34 million
- GPE: Non Fragile & Non Conflict-affected Countries (non-fcac) Fy24, December 2024 102.81 million
- SDG: Eastern and South-eastern Asia 102.15 million
- AIMS: East Asia 101.86 million
- SDG: Central and Southern Asia 101.25 million
About this data
February 2026 Data Release