School age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: South Asia

UNICEF: South Asia: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 33.85 million in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
33.85 million
Change on year
down 0.2%
Rank
40th
of 221 groups
All-time high
35.66 million
in 2007
All-time low
33.33 million
in 1999
Years of data
26
1999–2024

School age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: South Asia, 1999–2024

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M1999201120241999: 33.3M2000: 33.5M2001: 34.0M2002: 34.2M2003: 34.5M2004: 34.8M2005: 35.1M2006: 35.5M2007: 35.7M2008: 35.6M2009: 35.4M2010: 35.2M2011: 35.4M2012: 35.3M2013: 35.4M2014: 35.5M2015: 35.5M2016: 35.4M2017: 35.1M2018: 35.0M2019: 34.6M2020: 34.2M2021: 34.3M2022: 34.1M2023: 33.9M2024: 33.9M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

UNICEF: South Asia recorded 33.85 million for school age population, one year before the official primary entry in 2024.

The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 4.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: South Asia peaked at 35.66 million in 2007 and was at its lowest, 33.33 million, in 1999.

That places UNICEF: South Asia 40th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

School age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: South Asia, year by year

Annual values for School age population, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number) in UNICEF: South Asia, 1999 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1999 33.33 million
2000 33.48 million +0.5%
2001 34.02 million +1.6%
2002 34.19 million +0.5%
2003 34.51 million +0.9%
2004 34.80 million +0.9%
2005 35.11 million +0.9%
2006 35.51 million +1.1%
2007 35.66 million +0.4%
2008 35.57 million -0.3%
2009 35.38 million -0.5%
2010 35.20 million -0.5%
2011 35.37 million +0.5%
2012 35.31 million -0.2%
2013 35.39 million +0.2%
2014 35.49 million +0.3%
2015 35.54 million +0.1%
2016 35.35 million -0.5%
2017 35.12 million -0.7%
2018 34.96 million -0.4%
2019 34.56 million -1.1%
2020 34.24 million -0.9%
2021 34.30 million +0.2%
2022 34.10 million -0.6%
2023 33.93 million -0.5%
2024 33.85 million -0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 33.33 million 33.33 million 33.33 million 1
2000s 34.82 million 33.48 million 35.66 million 10
2010s 35.23 million 34.56 million 35.54 million 10
2020s 34.09 million 33.85 million 34.30 million 5

Countries ranked near UNICEF: South Asia

  1. 37 Mali 774,873 compare
  2. 38 Colombia 773,073 compare
  3. 39 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 754,391 compare
  4. 40 France 739,795 compare
  5. 41 Uzbekistan 739,006 compare
  6. 42 Thailand 707,895 compare
  7. 43 Chad 665,243 compare

See the full ranking of 443 places →

More education data for UNICEF: South Asia

All data for UNICEF: South Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: South Asia?
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: South Asia was 33.85 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: South Asia?
The highest recorded value was 35.66 million in 2007.
What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in UNICEF: South Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 33.33 million in 1999.
How does UNICEF: South Asia rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
UNICEF: South Asia ranks 40th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in UNICEF: South Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this UNICEF: South Asia 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.

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School age population, one year before the official primary entry in UNICEF: South Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-one-year-before-the-official-primary-entry-age-both-sexes-number/unicef-south-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
443 places, 20,766 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release