School age population, primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: School age population, primary education, both sexes was 15.64 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
15.64 million
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
10th
of 222 countries
All-time high
17.92 million
in 2010
All-time low
9.91 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh stood at 15.64 million.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh peaked at 17.92 million in 2010 and was at its lowest, 9.91 million, in 1970.
That places Bangladesh 10th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 9.91 million | — |
| 1971 | 10.15 million | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 10.33 million | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 10.58 million | +2.4% |
| 1974 | 10.83 million | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 11.06 million | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 11.30 million | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 11.58 million | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 11.97 million | +3.4% |
| 1979 | 12.39 million | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 12.84 million | +3.6% |
| 1981 | 13.29 million | +3.5% |
| 1982 | 13.22 million | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 13.65 million | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 13.97 million | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 14.29 million | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 14.59 million | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 14.91 million | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 15.23 million | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 15.55 million | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 15.83 million | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 16.08 million | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 16.27 million | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 16.42 million | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 16.49 million | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 16.54 million | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 16.58 million | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 16.58 million | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 16.53 million | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 16.46 million | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 16.38 million | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 16.31 million | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 16.30 million | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 16.35 million | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 16.55 million | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 16.83 million | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 17.10 million | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 17.42 million | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 17.71 million | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 17.86 million | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 17.92 million | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 17.90 million | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 17.77 million | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 17.57 million | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 17.32 million | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 17.04 million | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 16.71 million | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 16.36 million | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 16.18 million | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 16.05 million | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 15.99 million | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 15.95 million | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 15.92 million | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 15.76 million | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 15.67 million | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 15.64 million | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.01 million | 9.91 million | 12.39 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 14.15 million | 12.84 million | 15.55 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.38 million | 15.83 million | 16.58 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.88 million | 16.30 million | 17.86 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.08 million | 16.05 million | 17.92 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.82 million | 15.64 million | 15.99 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More education data for Bangladesh
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 16.69 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0961 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 16.69 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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 0.0961 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 8.56 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Bangladesh was 15.64 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 17.92 million in 2010.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.91 million in 1970.
- How does Bangladesh rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Bangladesh ranks 10th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, 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