School age population, primary education, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104): School age population, primary education, both sexes was 32.23 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
32.23 million
Change on year
up 0.6%
Rank
149th
of 221 groups
All-time high
32.23 million
in 2024
All-time low
8.99 million
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School age population, primary education, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, school age population, primary education, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) stood at 32.23 million. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 22.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) peaked at 32.23 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.99 million, in 1970.
That places ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) 149th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 8.99 million | — |
| 1971 | 9.25 million | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 9.51 million | +2.8% |
| 1973 | 9.81 million | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 10.12 million | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 10.20 million | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 10.53 million | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 10.86 million | +3.2% |
| 1978 | 11.19 million | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 11.51 million | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 11.87 million | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 12.27 million | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 12.56 million | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 12.84 million | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 13.18 million | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 13.56 million | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 13.98 million | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 14.75 million | +5.6% |
| 1988 | 15.21 million | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 15.69 million | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 16.20 million | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 16.76 million | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 17.35 million | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 18.14 million | +4.6% |
| 1994 | 18.48 million | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 18.98 million | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 19.28 million | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 20.07 million | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 20.65 million | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 20.79 million | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 20.86 million | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 20.96 million | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 21.04 million | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 21.19 million | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 21.37 million | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 21.56 million | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 21.76 million | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 23.06 million | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 23.34 million | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 23.71 million | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 24.06 million | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 24.47 million | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 24.98 million | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 25.61 million | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 26.28 million | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 27.01 million | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 27.86 million | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 28.66 million | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 29.44 million | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 30.15 million | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 30.78 million | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 31.29 million | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 31.67 million | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 32.05 million | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 32.23 million | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.20 million | 8.99 million | 11.51 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.59 million | 11.87 million | 15.69 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.67 million | 16.20 million | 20.79 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.88 million | 20.86 million | 23.71 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.85 million | 24.06 million | 30.15 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.61 million | 30.78 million | 32.23 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
- 146 Croatia 143,345 compare
- 147 Bosnia and Herzegovina 137,610 compare
- 148 Republic of Moldova 130,660 compare
- 149 Slovenia 130,287 compare
- 150 Trinidad and Tobago 127,385 compare
- 151 Latvia 127,044 compare
- 152 Bahrain 126,537 compare
More education data for ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.27 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.9 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.01 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.24 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 0.2683 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 545,537 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 7.14 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 329,590 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 875,127 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) was 32.23 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The highest recorded value was 32.23 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.99 million in 1970.
- How does ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 149th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) 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