School age population, primary education, both sexes in SDG: Eastern Asia

SDG: Eastern Asia: School age population, primary education, both sexes was 119.97 million in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
119.97 million
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
69th
of 221 groups
All-time high
148.81 million
in 1980
All-time low
96.99 million
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024

School age population, primary education, both sexes in SDG: Eastern Asia, 1970–2024

050.0M100.0M150.0M197019972024

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

SDG: Eastern Asia recorded 119.97 million for school age population, primary education, both sexes in 2024.

The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 10.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in SDG: Eastern Asia peaked at 148.81 million in 1980 and was at its lowest, 96.99 million, in 1970.

SDG: Eastern Asia ranks 69th of 221 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.

School age population, primary education, both sexes in SDG: Eastern Asia, year by year

Annual values for School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in SDG: Eastern Asia, 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 96.99 million
1971 107.35 million +10.7%
1972 118.36 million +10.2%
1973 129.78 million +9.6%
1974 141.46 million +9.0%
1975 142.79 million +0.9%
1976 142.21 million -0.4%
1977 143.80 million +1.1%
1978 145.86 million +1.4%
1979 147.10 million +0.9%
1980 148.81 million +1.2%
1981 146.01 million -1.9%
1982 141.96 million -2.8%
1983 135.04 million -4.9%
1984 128.71 million -4.7%
1985 121.75 million -5.4%
1986 115.53 million -5.1%
1987 111.96 million -3.1%
1988 111.11 million -0.8%
1989 111.96 million +0.8%
1990 116.04 million +3.6%
1991 117.64 million +1.4%
1992 119.50 million +1.6%
1993 121.99 million +2.1%
1994 125.49 million +2.9%
1995 128.63 million +2.5%
1996 133.21 million +3.6%
1997 137.43 million +3.2%
1998 141.23 million +2.8%
1999 138.12 million -2.2%
2000 132.12 million -4.3%
2001 126.34 million -4.4%
2002 119.19 million -5.7%
2003 110.69 million -7.1%
2004 123.57 million +11.6%
2005 119.99 million -2.9%
2006 116.89 million -2.6%
2007 115.09 million -1.5%
2008 112.70 million -2.1%
2009 110.77 million -1.7%
2010 109.29 million -1.3%
2011 108.53 million -0.7%
2012 108.14 million -0.4%
2013 107.41 million -0.7%
2014 108.46 million +1.0%
2015 109.88 million +1.3%
2016 111.79 million +1.7%
2017 113.42 million +1.5%
2018 114.86 million +1.3%
2019 117.38 million +2.2%
2020 118.51 million +1.0%
2021 119.67 million +1.0%
2022 119.21 million -0.4%
2023 119.56 million +0.3%
2024 119.97 million +0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 131.57 million 96.99 million 147.10 million 10
1980s 127.28 million 111.11 million 148.81 million 10
1990s 127.93 million 116.04 million 141.23 million 10
2000s 118.74 million 110.69 million 132.12 million 10
2010s 110.92 million 107.41 million 117.38 million 10
2020s 119.39 million 118.51 million 119.97 million 5

Countries ranked near SDG: Eastern Asia

  1. 66 Australia 2.28 million compare
  2. 67 Cambodia 2.11 million compare
  3. 68 Rwanda 2.04 million compare
  4. 69 Ecuador 1.86 million compare
  5. 70 South Sudan 1.78 million compare
  6. 71 Sri Lanka 1.68 million compare
  7. 72 North Korea 1.67 million compare

See the full ranking of 443 places →

More education data for SDG: Eastern Asia

All data for SDG: Eastern Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in SDG: Eastern Asia?
School age population, primary education, both sexes in SDG: Eastern Asia was 119.97 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in SDG: Eastern Asia?
The highest recorded value was 148.81 million in 1980.
What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in SDG: Eastern Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 96.99 million in 1970.
How does SDG: Eastern Asia rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
SDG: Eastern Asia ranks 69th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in SDG: Eastern Asia?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this SDG: Eastern Asia 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.

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School age population, primary education, both sexes in SDG: Eastern Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-primary-education-both-sexes-number-2/sdg-eastern-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, primary education, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
443 places, 20,724 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release