School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes was 1.58 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1.58 million
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
59th
of 220 countries
All-time high
1.58 million
in 2025
All-time low
233,750
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2025
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Saudi Arabia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Saudi Arabia is 1.58 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Saudi Arabia peaked at 1.58 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 233,750, in 1970.
That places Saudi Arabia 59th out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 233,750 | — |
| 1971 | 244,696 | +4.7% |
| 1972 | 256,380 | +4.8% |
| 1973 | 268,580 | +4.8% |
| 1974 | 281,238 | +4.7% |
| 1975 | 294,224 | +4.6% |
| 1976 | 307,856 | +4.6% |
| 1977 | 322,432 | +4.7% |
| 1978 | 337,639 | +4.7% |
| 1979 | 353,467 | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 370,047 | +4.7% |
| 1981 | 387,581 | +4.7% |
| 1982 | 406,396 | +4.9% |
| 1983 | 426,802 | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 449,179 | +5.2% |
| 1985 | 474,286 | +5.6% |
| 1986 | 501,618 | +5.8% |
| 1987 | 532,158 | +6.1% |
| 1988 | 564,593 | +6.1% |
| 1989 | 599,020 | +6.1% |
| 1990 | 636,876 | +6.3% |
| 1991 | 678,229 | +6.5% |
| 1992 | 722,905 | +6.6% |
| 1993 | 768,708 | +6.3% |
| 1994 | 815,068 | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 862,014 | +5.8% |
| 1996 | 910,368 | +5.6% |
| 1997 | 959,737 | +5.4% |
| 1998 | 1.01 million | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 1.05 million | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 1.09 million | +3.7% |
| 2001 | 1.20 million | +10.3% |
| 2002 | 1.30 million | +8.2% |
| 2003 | 1.38 million | +6.1% |
| 2004 | 1.44 million | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 1.47 million | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 1.47 million | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 1.46 million | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 1.44 million | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 1.41 million | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 1.37 million | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 1.34 million | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 1.30 million | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 1.27 million | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 1.26 million | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.27 million | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 1.29 million | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 1.32 million | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 1.34 million | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 1.35 million | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 1.40 million | +4.1% |
| 2021 | 1.44 million | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 1.49 million | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 1.53 million | +2.9% |
| 2025 | 1.58 million | +3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 290,026 | 233,750 | 353,467 | 10 |
| 1980s | 471,168 | 370,047 | 599,020 | 10 |
| 1990s | 841,286 | 636,876 | 1.05 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.37 million | 1.09 million | 1.47 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.31 million | 1.26 million | 1.37 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.49 million | 1.40 million | 1.58 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 19.42 % change on previous year (2022)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 244,652 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate -2.16 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 20.66 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.71 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 18.25 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 430,399 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 77.4 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Saudi Arabia?
- School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Saudi Arabia was 1.58 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.58 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 233,750 in 1970.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 59th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release