School age population, one year before the official primary entry in WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan

WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 17.46 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
17.46 million
Change on year
down 1.4%
Rank
79th
of 221 groups
All-time high
17.71 million
in 2023
All-time low
6.94 million
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024

School age population, one year before the official primary entry in WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, 1970–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M197019972024

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2024, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan stood at 17.46 million.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan peaked at 17.71 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.94 million, in 1970.

That places WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan 79th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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 WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, year by year

Annual values for School age population, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number) in WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 6.94 million
1971 7.08 million +2.0%
1972 7.24 million +2.3%
1973 7.41 million +2.3%
1974 7.58 million +2.2%
1975 7.76 million +2.4%
1976 7.97 million +2.7%
1977 8.20 million +2.8%
1978 8.39 million +2.3%
1979 8.59 million +2.4%
1980 8.83 million +2.8%
1981 9.07 million +2.8%
1982 9.31 million +2.6%
1983 9.59 million +3.0%
1984 9.92 million +3.4%
1985 10.32 million +4.0%
1986 10.72 million +3.9%
1987 11.05 million +3.1%
1988 11.43 million +3.5%
1989 11.74 million +2.7%
1990 12.03 million +2.5%
1991 12.23 million +1.6%
1992 12.44 million +1.7%
1993 12.65 million +1.7%
1994 12.87 million +1.7%
1995 13.00 million +1.1%
1996 13.14 million +1.0%
1997 13.20 million +0.5%
1998 13.17 million -0.2%
1999 13.13 million -0.3%
2000 13.04 million -0.7%
2001 12.99 million -0.4%
2002 12.97 million -0.1%
2003 13.11 million +1.0%
2004 13.33 million +1.7%
2005 13.51 million +1.4%
2006 13.69 million +1.3%
2007 13.81 million +0.9%
2008 13.91 million +0.8%
2009 14.04 million +1.0%
2010 14.29 million +1.8%
2011 14.69 million +2.8%
2012 15.15 million +3.1%
2013 15.63 million +3.2%
2014 16.07 million +2.8%
2015 16.46 million +2.4%
2016 16.74 million +1.7%
2017 16.98 million +1.4%
2018 17.26 million +1.7%
2019 17.48 million +1.3%
2020 17.63 million +0.8%
2021 17.66 million +0.2%
2022 17.67 million +0.0%
2023 17.71 million +0.2%
2024 17.46 million -1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 7.72 million 6.94 million 8.59 million 10
1980s 10.20 million 8.83 million 11.74 million 10
1990s 12.79 million 12.03 million 13.20 million 10
2000s 13.44 million 12.97 million 14.04 million 10
2010s 16.08 million 14.29 million 17.48 million 10
2020s 17.62 million 17.46 million 17.71 million 5

Countries ranked near WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan

  1. 76 Tajikistan 261,050 compare
  2. 77 Togo 260,101 compare
  3. 78 Bolivia 247,402 compare
  4. 79 Haiti 245,271 compare
  5. 80 Papua New Guinea 240,144 compare
  6. 81 Chile 235,962 compare
  7. 82 Sierra Leone 225,437 compare

See the full ranking of 443 places →

More education data for WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan

All data for WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan?
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan was 17.46 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 WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 17.71 million in 2023.
What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 6.94 million in 1970.
How does WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan ranks 79th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan 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 WB: Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-one-year-before-the-official-primary-entry-age-both-sexes-number/wb-middle-east-and-north-africa-afghanistan-pakistan/

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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