School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Australia
Australia: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 304,822 in 2024. ▲ Rising
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Australia, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Australia recorded 304,822 for school age population, one year before the official primary entry in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Australia peaked at 322,116 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 256,096, in 2002.
Australia ranks 73rd of 222 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 260,425 | — |
| 2001 | 259,662 | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 256,096 | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 258,193 | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 259,057 | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 259,189 | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 257,052 | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 259,013 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 264,356 | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 272,309 | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 284,490 | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 288,183 | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 297,267 | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 302,307 | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 309,056 | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 309,845 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 314,536 | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 319,952 | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 317,762 | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 318,044 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 322,116 | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 310,963 | -3.5% |
| 2022 | 306,227 | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 307,810 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 304,822 | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 260,535 | 256,096 | 272,309 | 10 |
| 2010s | 306,144 | 284,490 | 319,952 | 10 |
| 2020s | 310,388 | 304,822 | 322,116 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 70 Sri Lanka 326,954 compare
- 71 Republic of Korea 319,342 compare
- 72 Ukraine 317,317 compare
- 74 South Sudan 286,762 compare
- 75 Ecuador 285,966 compare
- 76 Tajikistan 261,050 compare
More education data for Australia
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Australia?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Australia was 304,822 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 322,116 in 2020.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 256,096 in 2002.
- How does Australia rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Australia ranks 73rd out of 222 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. 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, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release