School age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific
UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 28.54 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
28.54 million
Change on year
down 10.0%
Rank
49th
of 221 groups
All-time high
40.75 million
in 1997
All-time low
28.54 million
in 2024
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific stood at 28.54 million. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of down 10.0% on the previous year and down 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific peaked at 40.75 million in 1997 and was at its lowest, 28.54 million, in 2024.
That places UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific 49th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 39.72 million | — |
| 1971 | 37.09 million | -6.6% |
| 1972 | 37.38 million | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 36.97 million | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 35.74 million | -3.3% |
| 1975 | 39.67 million | +11.0% |
| 1976 | 39.34 million | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 40.11 million | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 38.84 million | -3.2% |
| 1979 | 38.09 million | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 37.41 million | -1.8% |
| 1981 | 35.73 million | -4.5% |
| 1982 | 33.67 million | -5.8% |
| 1983 | 32.87 million | -2.4% |
| 1984 | 31.58 million | -3.9% |
| 1985 | 31.84 million | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 32.94 million | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 33.66 million | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 34.65 million | +2.9% |
| 1989 | 36.64 million | +5.7% |
| 1990 | 34.30 million | -6.4% |
| 1991 | 35.54 million | +3.6% |
| 1992 | 36.60 million | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 38.32 million | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 39.85 million | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 39.00 million | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 39.88 million | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 40.75 million | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 35.71 million | -12.4% |
| 1999 | 34.22 million | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 33.42 million | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 32.79 million | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 32.20 million | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 31.49 million | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 30.42 million | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 30.03 million | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 30.71 million | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 29.74 million | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 29.50 million | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 29.44 million | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 29.67 million | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 29.72 million | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 30.22 million | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 30.74 million | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 31.41 million | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 31.67 million | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 31.63 million | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 31.73 million | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 33.51 million | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 32.49 million | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 32.70 million | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 31.46 million | -3.8% |
| 2022 | 32.01 million | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 31.72 million | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 28.54 million | -10.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 38.29 million | 35.74 million | 40.11 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 34.10 million | 31.58 million | 37.41 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.42 million | 34.22 million | 40.75 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.97 million | 29.44 million | 33.42 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.28 million | 29.67 million | 33.51 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.29 million | 28.54 million | 32.70 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific
More education data for UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 47.05 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 82.61 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 91.06 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 2.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 45.60 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.4 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.73 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 8.14 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific was 28.54 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific?
- The highest recorded value was 40.75 million in 1997.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.54 million in 2024.
- How does UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific ranks 49th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this UNICEF: East Asia and Pacific 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 — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release