School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Australia

Australia: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes was 326,103 number in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
326,103 number
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
69th
of 204 countries
All-time high
326,103 number
in 2020
All-time low
240,449 number
in 1989
Years of data
51
1970–2020

School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Australia, 1970–2020

0100.0k200.0k300.0k197019952020

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Australia is 326,103 number, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Australia peaked at 326,103 number in 2020 and was at its lowest, 240,449 number, in 1989.

Australia ranks 69th of 204 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.

School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Australia, year by year

Annual values for School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number) in Australia, 1970 to 2020.
Year number Change
1970 252,523 number
1971 252,687 number +0.1%
1972 253,746 number +0.4%
1973 255,679 number +0.8%
1974 257,351 number +0.7%
1975 257,355 number +0.0%
1976 254,817 number -1.0%
1977 253,153 number -0.7%
1978 251,328 number -0.7%
1979 250,566 number -0.3%
1980 253,161 number +1.0%
1981 258,469 number +2.1%
1982 262,556 number +1.6%
1983 267,063 number +1.7%
1984 269,685 number +1.0%
1985 266,213 number -1.3%
1986 257,774 number -3.2%
1987 251,309 number -2.5%
1988 244,981 number -2.5%
1989 240,449 number -1.8%
1990 241,520 number +0.4%
1991 246,976 number +2.3%
1992 251,102 number +1.7%
1993 255,025 number +1.6%
1994 258,546 number +1.4%
1995 260,125 number +0.6%
1996 259,901 number -0.1%
1997 260,776 number +0.3%
1998 262,191 number +0.5%
1999 264,192 number +0.8%
2000 267,444 number +1.2%
2001 271,224 number +1.4%
2002 274,367 number +1.2%
2003 277,495 number +1.1%
2004 279,942 number +0.9%
2005 280,274 number +0.1%
2006 278,387 number -0.7%
2007 277,349 number -0.4%
2008 276,917 number -0.2%
2009 276,687 number -0.1%
2010 276,280 number -0.1%
2011 276,615 number +0.1%
2012 277,434 number +0.3%
2013 278,106 number +0.2%
2014 280,081 number +0.7%
2015 285,315 number +1.9%
2016 295,131 number +3.4%
2017 304,211 number +3.1%
2018 313,273 number +3.0%
2019 321,249 number +2.5%
2020 326,103 number +1.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 253,920 number 250,566 number 257,355 number 10
1980s 257,166 number 240,449 number 269,685 number 10
1990s 256,035 number 241,520 number 264,192 number 10
2000s 276,009 number 267,444 number 280,274 number 10
2010s 290,770 number 276,280 number 321,249 number 10
2020s 326,103 number 326,103 number 326,103 number 1

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 66 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 341,419 number compare
  2. 67 Guinea 331,244 number compare
  3. 68 Cambodia 330,682 number compare
  4. 70 Rwanda 312,603 number compare
  5. 71 Ecuador 310,226 number compare
  6. 72 Benin 298,370 number compare

See the full ranking of 249 places →

More education data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Australia?
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Australia was 326,103 number in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 326,103 number in 2020.
What is the lowest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 240,449 number in 1989.
How does Australia rank for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes?
Australia ranks 69th out of 204 countries with data for 2020.
Is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia 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 Australia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-last-grade-of-primary-education-both-sexes-number/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
249 places, 12,245 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to the last grade of primary school as indicated by theoretical entrance age and duration.