School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income): School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes was 31.06 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
31.06 million
Change on year
down 0.7%
Rank
101st
of 221 groups
All-time high
31.31 million
in 2022
All-time low
12.10 million
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) stood at 31.06 million.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) peaked at 31.31 million in 2022 and was at its lowest, 12.10 million, in 1970.
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 101st of 221 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 12.10 million | — |
| 1971 | 12.37 million | +2.2% |
| 1972 | 12.67 million | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 12.98 million | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 13.31 million | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 13.67 million | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 14.10 million | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 14.55 million | +3.2% |
| 1978 | 14.94 million | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 15.37 million | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 15.83 million | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 16.31 million | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 16.79 million | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 17.33 million | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 17.96 million | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 18.69 million | +4.1% |
| 1986 | 19.36 million | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 19.98 million | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 20.65 million | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 21.22 million | +2.8% |
| 1990 | 21.77 million | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 22.19 million | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 22.59 million | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 22.99 million | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 23.38 million | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 23.67 million | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 23.94 million | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 24.10 million | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 24.14 million | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 24.17 million | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 24.12 million | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 24.13 million | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 24.25 million | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 24.56 million | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 24.91 million | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 25.21 million | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 24.91 million | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 25.13 million | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 25.30 million | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 25.62 million | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 26.20 million | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 26.96 million | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 27.82 million | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 28.61 million | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 29.30 million | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 29.84 million | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 30.26 million | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 30.61 million | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 30.94 million | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 31.13 million | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 31.21 million | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 31.24 million | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 31.31 million | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 31.28 million | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 31.06 million | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13.61 million | 12.10 million | 15.37 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 18.41 million | 15.83 million | 21.22 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.30 million | 21.77 million | 24.17 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.81 million | 24.12 million | 25.62 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.17 million | 26.20 million | 31.13 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.22 million | 31.06 million | 31.31 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
More education data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.74 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 3.82 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 8.80 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 29.02 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.80 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 32.64 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 4.06 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) was 31.06 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The highest recorded value was 31.31 million in 2022.
- What is the lowest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.10 million in 1970.
- How does WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) rank for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes?
- WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 101st out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) 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
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release