School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd)

WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd): School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes was 15.97 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
15.97 million
Change on year
up 1.1%
Rank
86th
of 221 groups
All-time high
15.97 million
in 2024
All-time low
5.10 million
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024

School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd), 1970–2024

5.0M7.5M10.0M12.5M15.0M197019972024

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd) recorded 15.97 million for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 22.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd) peaked at 15.97 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.10 million, in 1970.

That places WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd) 86th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.

School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd), year by year

Annual values for School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number) in WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd), 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 5.10 million
1971 5.29 million +3.8%
1972 5.46 million +3.1%
1973 5.64 million +3.4%
1974 5.86 million +3.8%
1975 6.01 million +2.5%
1976 6.16 million +2.5%
1977 6.32 million +2.6%
1978 6.49 million +2.8%
1979 6.66 million +2.6%
1980 6.83 million +2.5%
1981 6.99 million +2.3%
1982 7.14 million +2.2%
1983 7.31 million +2.4%
1984 7.51 million +2.8%
1985 7.75 million +3.1%
1986 7.99 million +3.2%
1987 8.29 million +3.7%
1988 8.57 million +3.3%
1989 8.88 million +3.6%
1990 9.30 million +4.8%
1991 9.67 million +3.9%
1992 10.01 million +3.5%
1993 10.44 million +4.3%
1994 10.80 million +3.4%
1995 11.08 million +2.6%
1996 11.34 million +2.3%
1997 11.56 million +1.9%
1998 11.76 million +1.7%
1999 11.93 million +1.5%
2000 12.05 million +1.0%
2001 12.16 million +0.9%
2002 12.23 million +0.6%
2003 12.23 million +0.0%
2004 12.21 million -0.2%
2005 12.16 million -0.4%
2006 12.20 million +0.3%
2007 12.20 million +0.0%
2008 12.22 million +0.1%
2009 12.37 million +1.3%
2010 12.55 million +1.5%
2011 12.67 million +1.0%
2012 12.78 million +0.8%
2013 12.93 million +1.2%
2014 13.00 million +0.5%
2015 13.23 million +1.7%
2016 13.55 million +2.5%
2017 13.91 million +2.6%
2018 14.33 million +3.0%
2019 14.75 million +2.9%
2020 15.10 million +2.4%
2021 15.36 million +1.8%
2022 15.59 million +1.5%
2023 15.80 million +1.3%
2024 15.97 million +1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5.90 million 5.10 million 6.66 million 10
1980s 7.73 million 6.83 million 8.88 million 10
1990s 10.79 million 9.30 million 11.93 million 10
2000s 12.20 million 12.05 million 12.37 million 10
2010s 13.37 million 12.55 million 14.75 million 10
2020s 15.57 million 15.10 million 15.97 million 5

Countries ranked near WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd)

  1. 83 Honduras 214,609 compare
  2. 84 Sierra Leone 209,385 compare
  3. 85 Romania 203,679 compare
  4. 86 Dominican Republic 190,906 compare
  5. 87 Netherlands 187,030 compare
  6. 88 Jordan 186,743 compare
  7. 89 Israel 174,898 compare

See the full ranking of 443 places →

More education data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd)

All data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd) →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd)?
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd) was 15.97 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd)?
The highest recorded value was 15.97 million in 2024.
What is the lowest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd)?
The lowest recorded value was 5.10 million in 1970.
How does WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd) rank for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes?
WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd) ranks 86th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd)?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd) 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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School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (ida & Ibrd). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-last-grade-of-primary-education-both-sexes-number-2/wb-middle-east-and-north-africa-ida-and-ibrd/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
443 places, 20,702 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release