School-age population (lower secondary level) in Iran
Iran: School-age population (lower secondary level) was 4.17 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
4.17 million
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
5th
of 72 countries
All-time high
5.79 million
in 1998
All-time low
2.09 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School-age population in Iran, 1970–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school-age population in Iran is 4.17 million, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 83.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in Iran peaked at 5.79 million in 1998 and was at its lowest, 2.09 million, in 1970.
Iran ranks 5th of 72 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School-age population (lower secondary level) in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.09 million | — |
| 1971 | 2.17 million | +4.2% |
| 1972 | 2.34 million | +7.5% |
| 1973 | 2.39 million | +2.4% |
| 1974 | 2.44 million | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 2.48 million | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 2.53 million | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 2.59 million | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 2.66 million | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 2.76 million | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 2.85 million | +3.4% |
| 1981 | 2.94 million | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 3.03 million | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 3.09 million | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 3.12 million | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 3.16 million | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 3.23 million | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 3.35 million | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 3.53 million | +5.3% |
| 1989 | 3.75 million | +6.1% |
| 1990 | 4.00 million | +6.9% |
| 1991 | 4.29 million | +7.2% |
| 1992 | 4.59 million | +6.9% |
| 1993 | 4.85 million | +5.7% |
| 1994 | 5.11 million | +5.4% |
| 1995 | 5.37 million | +5.1% |
| 1996 | 5.61 million | +4.4% |
| 1997 | 5.73 million | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 5.79 million | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 5.78 million | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 5.73 million | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 5.65 million | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 5.55 million | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 5.39 million | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 5.12 million | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 4.77 million | -6.8% |
| 2006 | 4.41 million | -7.5% |
| 2007 | 4.14 million | -6.2% |
| 2008 | 3.90 million | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 3.72 million | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 3.60 million | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 3.53 million | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 3.50 million | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 2.32 million | -33.9% |
| 2014 | 2.29 million | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 2.27 million | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 3.41 million | +50.2% |
| 2017 | 3.45 million | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 3.53 million | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 3.63 million | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 3.74 million | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 3.83 million | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 3.92 million | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 4.01 million | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 4.08 million | +1.9% |
| 2025 | 4.17 million | +2.2% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 4.17 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 571,955, 7.3× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Iran's 4.17 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 665,620, 6.3× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School-age population (lower secondary level) in Iran changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +50.2% | 2.27 million | 3.41 million |
| 2013 | -33.9% | 3.50 million | 2.32 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.44 million | 2.09 million | 2.76 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.20 million | 2.85 million | 3.75 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.11 million | 4.00 million | 5.79 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.84 million | 3.72 million | 5.73 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.15 million | 2.27 million | 3.63 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.96 million | 3.74 million | 4.17 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More education data for Iran
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.5 (2020)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.9 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school-age population in Iran?
- School-age population in Iran was 4.17 million in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 5.79 million in 1998.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.09 million in 1970.
- How does Iran rank for school-age population?
- Iran ranks 5th out of 72 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school-age population rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 83.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of School-age population (lower secondary level). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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