School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 115,943 in 2025. ▲ Rising
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Papua New Guinea, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Papua New Guinea stood at 115,943. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Papua New Guinea peaked at 115,943 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 37,176, in 1970.
That places Papua New Guinea 80th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 37,176 | — |
| 1971 | 38,302 | +3.0% |
| 1972 | 39,313 | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 40,307 | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 40,991 | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 41,534 | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 42,017 | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 42,441 | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 42,931 | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 43,641 | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 44,064 | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 44,448 | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 44,990 | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 45,637 | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 46,275 | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 46,910 | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 47,616 | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 48,369 | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 49,213 | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 50,196 | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 51,707 | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 53,476 | +3.4% |
| 1992 | 55,432 | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 57,302 | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 59,195 | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 61,337 | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 63,100 | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 63,704 | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 64,842 | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 66,750 | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 68,982 | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 70,967 | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 72,665 | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 74,829 | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 77,042 | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 79,345 | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 81,815 | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 83,755 | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 86,161 | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 88,629 | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 90,920 | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 92,763 | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 94,806 | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 96,701 | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 98,652 | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 100,806 | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 102,692 | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 105,224 | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 107,060 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 108,542 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 110,106 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 111,542 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 112,628 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 113,649 | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 114,593 | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 115,943 | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 40,865 | 37,176 | 43,641 | 10 |
| 1980s | 46,772 | 44,064 | 50,196 | 10 |
| 1990s | 59,684 | 51,707 | 66,750 | 10 |
| 2000s | 78,419 | 68,982 | 88,629 | 10 |
| 2010s | 99,817 | 90,920 | 108,542 | 10 |
| 2020s | 113,077 | 110,106 | 115,943 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 77 Tajikistan 127,163 compare
- 78 Haiti 121,538 compare
- 79 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 121,520 compare
- 81 Chile 115,750 compare
- 82 Sierra Leone 111,791 compare
- 83 Honduras 110,048 compare
More education data for Papua New Guinea
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 14,791 (2016)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 80,915 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 226,545 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 208,353 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 655,030 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.65 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 10.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1593 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Papua New Guinea?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Papua New Guinea was 115,943 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 115,943 in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 37,176 in 1970.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 80th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release