School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in Ghana
Ghana: School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) was 1.67 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.67 million
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
44th
of 222 countries
All-time high
1.69 million
in 2021
All-time low
628,630
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Ghana, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Ghana is 1.67 million, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Ghana peaked at 1.69 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 628,630, in 1970.
That places Ghana 44th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 628,630 | — |
| 1971 | 637,849 | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 652,548 | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 671,569 | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 692,456 | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 701,209 | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 690,564 | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 695,281 | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 719,326 | +3.5% |
| 1979 | 737,640 | +2.5% |
| 1980 | 750,871 | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 761,500 | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 791,506 | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 836,077 | +5.6% |
| 1984 | 874,118 | +4.5% |
| 1985 | 873,312 | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 862,354 | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 900,514 | +4.4% |
| 1988 | 951,870 | +5.7% |
| 1989 | 973,988 | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 985,098 | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 1.01 million | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 1.03 million | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 1.04 million | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 1.06 million | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 1.08 million | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 1.09 million | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 1.11 million | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 1.12 million | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 1.13 million | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 1.13 million | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 1.14 million | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 1.15 million | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 1.18 million | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 1.21 million | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 1.25 million | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 1.29 million | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 1.32 million | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 1.35 million | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 1.37 million | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 1.40 million | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 1.43 million | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 1.45 million | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 1.47 million | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 1.49 million | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 1.53 million | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 1.58 million | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 1.62 million | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 1.65 million | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 1.67 million | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.68 million | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 1.69 million | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 1.67 million | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 1.65 million | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 1.66 million | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 1.67 million | +0.5% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 1.67 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 870,070, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 1.67 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.14 million, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 682,707 | 628,630 | 737,640 | 10 |
| 1980s | 857,611 | 750,871 | 973,988 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.06 million | 985,098 | 1.13 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.24 million | 1.13 million | 1.37 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.53 million | 1.40 million | 1.67 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.67 million | 1.65 million | 1.69 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More education data for Ghana
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 174,414 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 39,902 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 949,095 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 913,117 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.6567 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1448 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Ghana?
- School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Ghana was 1.67 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 1.69 million in 2021.
- What is the lowest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 628,630 in 1970.
- How does Ghana rank for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes?
- Ghana ranks 44th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release