School age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 9.99 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
9.99 million
Change on year
down 3.1%
Rank
131st
of 221 groups
All-time high
10.40 million
in 2021
All-time low
4.72 million
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa stood at 9.99 million.
That represents a change of down 3.1% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa peaked at 10.40 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4.72 million, in 1970.
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa ranks 131st of 221 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.72 million | — |
| 1971 | 4.79 million | +1.6% |
| 1972 | 4.90 million | +2.2% |
| 1973 | 5.01 million | +2.2% |
| 1974 | 5.11 million | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 5.23 million | +2.2% |
| 1976 | 5.36 million | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 5.50 million | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 5.61 million | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 5.73 million | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 5.89 million | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 6.07 million | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 6.26 million | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 6.44 million | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 6.66 million | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 6.91 million | +3.8% |
| 1986 | 7.13 million | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 7.31 million | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 7.57 million | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 7.77 million | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 7.94 million | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 8.00 million | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 8.06 million | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 8.09 million | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 8.14 million | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 8.14 million | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 8.13 million | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 8.08 million | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 7.95 million | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 7.81 million | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 7.63 million | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 7.51 million | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 7.43 million | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 7.44 million | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 7.49 million | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 7.59 million | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 7.70 million | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 7.78 million | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 7.83 million | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 7.96 million | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 8.11 million | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 8.31 million | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 8.57 million | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 8.84 million | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 9.12 million | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 9.35 million | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 9.58 million | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 9.78 million | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 10.04 million | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 10.23 million | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 10.36 million | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 10.40 million | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 10.32 million | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 10.31 million | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 9.99 million | -3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.20 million | 4.72 million | 5.73 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.80 million | 5.89 million | 7.77 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.03 million | 7.81 million | 8.14 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.64 million | 7.43 million | 7.96 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.19 million | 8.11 million | 10.23 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.28 million | 9.99 million | 10.40 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
More education data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 21.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 23.21 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.49 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.5257 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 17.53 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.61 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.11 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa was 9.99 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: Middle East and North Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 10.40 million in 2021.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.72 million in 1970.
- How does UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa ranks 131st out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa 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
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release