School-age population (pre-primary level) in Iran
Iran: School-age population (pre-primary level) was 1.29 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.29 million
Change on year
down 9.1%
World rank
16th
of 72 countries
All-time high
1.96 million
in 1992
All-time low
872,139
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School-age population in Iran, 1970–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school-age population in Iran is 1.29 million, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 9.1% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in Iran peaked at 1.96 million in 1992 and was at its lowest, 872,139, in 1970.
Iran ranks 16th of 72 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School-age population (pre-primary level) in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 872,139 | — |
| 1971 | 899,612 | +3.2% |
| 1972 | 931,251 | +3.5% |
| 1973 | 964,016 | +3.5% |
| 1974 | 993,619 | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 1.02 million | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 1.04 million | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 1.05 million | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 1.05 million | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 1.08 million | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 1.11 million | +3.6% |
| 1981 | 1.17 million | +4.8% |
| 1982 | 1.26 million | +7.5% |
| 1983 | 1.34 million | +6.4% |
| 1984 | 1.43 million | +7.3% |
| 1985 | 1.55 million | +7.8% |
| 1986 | 1.63 million | +5.7% |
| 1987 | 1.70 million | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 1.83 million | +7.7% |
| 1989 | 1.89 million | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 1.94 million | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 1.96 million | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 1.96 million | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.94 million | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 1.90 million | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 1.86 million | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 1.82 million | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 1.74 million | -4.4% |
| 1998 | 1.61 million | -7.5% |
| 1999 | 1.47 million | -8.6% |
| 2000 | 1.28 million | -12.7% |
| 2001 | 1.16 million | -9.3% |
| 2002 | 1.08 million | -7.4% |
| 2003 | 1.02 million | -5.1% |
| 2004 | 1.05 million | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 1.08 million | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 1.11 million | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 1.13 million | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 1.13 million | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.13 million | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 1.15 million | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 1.20 million | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 1.26 million | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 1.28 million | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 1.31 million | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 1.33 million | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 1.36 million | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 1.38 million | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 1.43 million | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 1.47 million | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 1.52 million | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 1.55 million | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 1.55 million | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 1.52 million | -2.4% |
| 2024 | 1.42 million | -6.3% |
| 2025 | 1.29 million | -9.1% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 1.29 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 261,773, 4.9× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Iran's 1.29 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 417,816, 3.1× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 989,996 | 872,139 | 1.08 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.49 million | 1.11 million | 1.89 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.82 million | 1.47 million | 1.96 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.12 million | 1.02 million | 1.28 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.32 million | 1.15 million | 1.47 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.48 million | 1.29 million | 1.55 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More education data for Iran
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.5 (2020)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.9 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school-age population in Iran?
- School-age population in Iran was 1.29 million in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 1.96 million in 1992.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 872,139 in 1970.
- How does Iran rank for school-age population?
- Iran ranks 16th out of 72 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school-age population rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of School-age population (pre-primary level). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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