School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes was 3.13 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
3.13 million
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
7th
of 222 countries
All-time high
3.60 million
in 2012
All-time low
1.83 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh stood at 3.13 million.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh peaked at 3.60 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1.83 million, in 1970.
That places Bangladesh 7th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.83 million | — |
| 1971 | 1.89 million | +3.5% |
| 1972 | 1.95 million | +2.8% |
| 1973 | 1.99 million | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 2.05 million | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 2.09 million | +2.3% |
| 1976 | 2.14 million | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 2.20 million | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 2.24 million | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 2.28 million | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 2.33 million | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 2.42 million | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 2.40 million | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 2.57 million | +6.9% |
| 1984 | 2.63 million | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 2.70 million | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 2.76 million | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 2.81 million | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 2.87 million | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 2.93 million | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 3.00 million | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 3.06 million | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 3.14 million | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 3.21 million | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 3.22 million | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 3.27 million | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 3.29 million | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 3.29 million | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 3.29 million | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 3.27 million | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 3.30 million | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 3.28 million | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 3.26 million | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 3.23 million | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 3.21 million | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 3.26 million | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 3.27 million | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 3.31 million | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 3.43 million | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 3.49 million | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 3.54 million | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 3.58 million | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 3.60 million | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 3.59 million | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 3.55 million | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 3.52 million | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 3.45 million | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 3.40 million | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 3.37 million | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 3.34 million | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 3.31 million | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 3.28 million | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 3.27 million | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 3.21 million | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 3.17 million | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 3.13 million | -1.1% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 3.13 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 255,188, 12.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 3.13 million is above the median for South Asia, which is 454,614, 6.9× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.07 million | 1.83 million | 2.28 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.64 million | 2.33 million | 2.93 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.20 million | 3.00 million | 3.29 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.30 million | 3.21 million | 3.49 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.49 million | 3.34 million | 3.60 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.23 million | 3.13 million | 3.31 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More education data for Bangladesh
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 571,690 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 387,056 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.77 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 16.69 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0961 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh?
- School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh was 3.13 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 3.60 million in 2012.
- What is the lowest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.83 million in 1970.
- How does Bangladesh rank for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes?
- Bangladesh ranks 7th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release