School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Australia
Australia: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 156,440 in 2024. ▲ Rising
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Australia, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Australia is 156,440, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Australia peaked at 165,618 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 131,324, in 2002.
Australia ranks 73rd of 222 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 133,722 | — |
| 2001 | 133,219 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 131,324 | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 132,378 | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 132,519 | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 132,929 | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 131,725 | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 132,783 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 135,773 | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 140,093 | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 145,951 | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 148,141 | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 152,415 | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 155,193 | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 158,489 | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 158,968 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 161,505 | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 164,480 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 163,104 | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 163,581 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 165,618 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 159,931 | -3.4% |
| 2022 | 157,396 | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 158,543 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 156,440 | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 133,646 | 131,324 | 140,093 | 10 |
| 2010s | 157,183 | 145,951 | 164,480 | 10 |
| 2020s | 159,586 | 156,440 | 165,618 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 70 Sri Lanka 166,868 compare
- 71 Republic of Korea 164,021 compare
- 72 Ukraine 162,948 compare
- 74 Ecuador 146,103 compare
- 75 South Sudan 144,983 compare
- 76 Tajikistan 133,887 compare
More education data for Australia
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.39 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.2746 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 609,231 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.75 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.83 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.79 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 79,796 (1997)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 23,978 (1997)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.05 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.55 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Australia?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Australia was 156,440 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 165,618 in 2020.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 131,324 in 2002.
- How does Australia rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Australia ranks 73rd out of 222 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia 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, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release