How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes?

Latin America & Caribbean ranks 29th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.

Is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?

Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean

Name: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean
Creator: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

Latin America & Caribbean: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes was 10.43 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)

10.43 million number

Change on year

down 0.5%

Rank

29th

of 45 groups

All-time high

11.27 million number

in 2006

All-time low

7.19 million number

in 1970

Years of data

1970–2019

School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean, 1970–2019

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 Latin America & Caribbean is 10.43 million number, measured in 2019.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 11.27 million number in 2006 and was at its lowest, 7.19 million number, in 1970.

That places Latin America & Caribbean 29th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year

Annual values for School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number) in Latin America & Caribbean, 1970 to 2019.
Year	number	Change
1970	7.19 million number	—
1971	7.41 million number	+3.0%
1972	7.62 million number	+2.9%
1973	7.83 million number	+2.7%
1974	8.01 million number	+2.3%
1975	8.15 million number	+1.8%
1976	8.29 million number	+1.6%
1977	8.41 million number	+1.4%
1978	8.52 million number	+1.4%
1979	8.64 million number	+1.3%
1980	8.75 million number	+1.3%
1981	8.86 million number	+1.3%
1982	8.98 million number	+1.3%
1983	9.11 million number	+1.4%
1984	9.27 million number	+1.8%
1985	9.46 million number	+2.0%
1986	9.63 million number	+1.8%
1987	9.80 million number	+1.7%
1988	9.95 million number	+1.6%
1989	10.11 million number	+1.6%
1990	10.26 million number	+1.5%
1991	10.39 million number	+1.3%
1992	10.51 million number	+1.1%
1993	10.61 million number	+1.0%
1994	10.69 million number	+0.7%
1995	10.74 million number	+0.4%
1996	10.80 million number	+0.5%
1997	10.71 million number	-0.9%
1998	10.90 million number	+1.8%
1999	10.75 million number	-1.4%
2000	11.01 million number	+2.4%
2001	10.90 million number	-1.0%
2002	10.87 million number	-0.3%
2003	10.97 million number	+1.0%
2004	11.18 million number	+1.9%
2005	11.26 million number	+0.7%
2006	11.27 million number	+0.1%
2007	11.24 million number	-0.2%
2008	11.08 million number	-1.5%
2009	11.02 million number	-0.5%
2010	11.06 million number	+0.3%
2011	10.97 million number	-0.8%
2012	10.69 million number	-2.6%
2013	10.73 million number	+0.4%
2014	10.64 million number	-0.8%
2015	10.68 million number	+0.4%
2016	10.57 million number	-1.1%
2017	10.50 million number	-0.6%
2018	10.48 million number	-0.2%
2019	10.43 million number	-0.5%

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1970s	8.01 million number	7.19 million number	8.64 million number	10
1980s	9.39 million number	8.75 million number	10.11 million number	10
1990s	10.64 million number	10.26 million number	10.90 million number	10
2000s	11.08 million number	10.87 million number	11.27 million number	10
2010s	10.68 million number	10.43 million number	11.06 million number	10

Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean

26 Angola 902,999 number compare
27 France 843,147 number compare
28 Thailand 824,259 number compare
29 Mozambique 810,800 number compare
30 Algeria 807,527 number compare
31 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 806,348 number compare
32 Colombia 754,289 number compare

See the full ranking of 249 places →

More education data for Latin America & Caribbean

Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.34 million (2024)
Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 63.30 million (2024)
Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 61.44 million (2024)
Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1923 % change on previous year (2024)
Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0928 units per person (2024)
Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Population ages 0-14 22.1% (2025)

All data for Latin America & Caribbean →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean?: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean was 10.43 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?: The highest recorded value was 11.27 million number in 2006.
What is the lowest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?: The lowest recorded value was 7.19 million number in 1970.
How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes?: Latin America & Caribbean ranks 29th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
Is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?: Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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 Latin America & Caribbean. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-last-grade-of-primary-education-both-sexes-number/latin-america-and-caribbean/

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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: 04 September 2026

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