School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 266,252 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
266,252
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
51st
of 222 countries
All-time high
278,546
in 2022
All-time low
55,229
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2025
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Saudi Arabia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Saudi Arabia stood at 266,252.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Saudi Arabia peaked at 278,546 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 55,229, in 1970.
That places Saudi Arabia 51st out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
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 Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 55,229 | — |
| 1971 | 57,484 | +4.1% |
| 1972 | 59,984 | +4.3% |
| 1973 | 62,717 | +4.6% |
| 1974 | 65,466 | +4.4% |
| 1975 | 68,508 | +4.6% |
| 1976 | 72,013 | +5.1% |
| 1977 | 75,813 | +5.3% |
| 1978 | 80,363 | +6.0% |
| 1979 | 85,103 | +5.9% |
| 1980 | 90,276 | +6.1% |
| 1981 | 95,828 | +6.2% |
| 1982 | 101,916 | +6.4% |
| 1983 | 108,657 | +6.6% |
| 1984 | 115,967 | +6.7% |
| 1985 | 123,646 | +6.6% |
| 1986 | 131,011 | +6.0% |
| 1987 | 138,660 | +5.8% |
| 1988 | 146,689 | +5.8% |
| 1989 | 154,638 | +5.4% |
| 1990 | 162,728 | +5.2% |
| 1991 | 169,899 | +4.4% |
| 1992 | 176,051 | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 181,539 | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 186,529 | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 190,133 | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 193,450 | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 196,691 | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 199,733 | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 203,054 | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 205,889 | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 207,947 | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 208,544 | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 208,637 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 208,862 | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 206,864 | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 206,185 | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 209,180 | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 212,704 | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 216,737 | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 221,392 | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 223,184 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 228,567 | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 235,777 | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 242,886 | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 252,304 | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 258,191 | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 261,765 | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 261,747 | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 266,794 | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 276,124 | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 273,080 | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 278,546 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 270,359 | -2.9% |
| 2025 | 266,252 | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 68,268 | 55,229 | 85,103 | 10 |
| 1980s | 120,729 | 90,276 | 154,638 | 10 |
| 1990s | 185,981 | 162,728 | 203,054 | 10 |
| 2000s | 209,155 | 205,889 | 216,737 | 10 |
| 2010s | 245,261 | 221,392 | 266,794 | 10 |
| 2020s | 272,872 | 266,252 | 278,546 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.69 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Saudi Arabia?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Saudi Arabia was 266,252 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 278,546 in 2022.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 55,229 in 1970.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 51st out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release