School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income): School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes was 48.15 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
48.15 million
Change on year
up 1.2%
Rank
89th
of 221 groups
All-time high
48.15 million
in 2024
All-time low
15.34 million
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) recorded 48.15 million for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 25.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) peaked at 48.15 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 15.34 million, in 1970.
That places WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) 89th 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, lower secondary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 15.34 million | — |
| 1971 | 15.43 million | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 16.33 million | +5.8% |
| 1973 | 16.85 million | +3.2% |
| 1974 | 17.40 million | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 18.00 million | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 18.54 million | +3.0% |
| 1977 | 19.06 million | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 19.59 million | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 20.13 million | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 20.65 million | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 21.15 million | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 21.59 million | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 22.14 million | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 22.72 million | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 23.37 million | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 24.00 million | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 24.71 million | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 25.52 million | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 25.81 million | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 26.88 million | +4.1% |
| 1991 | 27.20 million | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 28.30 million | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 29.52 million | +4.3% |
| 1994 | 30.80 million | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 31.91 million | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 32.92 million | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 33.78 million | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 34.56 million | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 35.26 million | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 35.88 million | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 36.25 million | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 36.70 million | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 38.00 million | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 38.20 million | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 38.26 million | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 38.24 million | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 38.93 million | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 38.85 million | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 38.87 million | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 39.08 million | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 39.45 million | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 39.93 million | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 39.14 million | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 38.49 million | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 38.80 million | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 40.36 million | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 41.00 million | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 41.85 million | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 43.05 million | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 44.33 million | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 45.62 million | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 46.69 million | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 47.58 million | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 48.15 million | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 17.67 million | 15.34 million | 20.13 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.16 million | 20.65 million | 25.81 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.11 million | 26.88 million | 35.26 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.82 million | 35.88 million | 38.93 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.12 million | 38.49 million | 43.05 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.47 million | 44.33 million | 48.15 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
- 86 Congo 643,210 compare
- 87 Honduras 641,507 compare
- 88 Central African Republic 621,024 compare
- 89 Sierra Leone 618,066 compare
- 90 Tunisia 613,700 compare
- 91 Lao People's Democratic Republic 605,074 compare
- 92 Netherlands 582,734 compare
More education data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.74 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 3.82 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 8.80 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 29.02 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.80 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 32.64 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 4.06 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) was 48.15 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The highest recorded value was 48.15 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.34 million in 1970.
- How does WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) rank for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes?
- WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 89th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) 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.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release