School age population, primary education, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries
UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries: School age population, primary education, both sexes was 66.60 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
66.60 million
Change on year
up 0.4%
Rank
106th
of 221 groups
All-time high
66.60 million
in 2024
All-time low
28.74 million
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School age population, primary education, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, school age population, primary education, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries stood at 66.60 million. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 21.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries peaked at 66.60 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 28.74 million, in 1970.
That places UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries 106th 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 UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 28.74 million | — |
| 1971 | 29.53 million | +2.8% |
| 1972 | 29.32 million | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 29.92 million | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 30.49 million | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 31.03 million | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 31.70 million | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 32.43 million | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 33.10 million | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 33.74 million | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 34.39 million | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 35.10 million | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 35.88 million | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 36.70 million | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 37.60 million | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 38.62 million | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 39.71 million | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 40.91 million | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 42.06 million | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 43.28 million | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 43.12 million | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 44.62 million | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 45.66 million | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 46.54 million | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 47.24 million | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 47.71 million | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 48.03 million | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 48.23 million | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 48.31 million | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 48.31 million | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 48.15 million | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 47.93 million | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 47.49 million | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 46.03 million | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 45.76 million | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 47.50 million | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 47.69 million | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 47.83 million | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 48.09 million | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 48.02 million | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 48.63 million | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 49.27 million | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 50.14 million | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 52.39 million | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 54.78 million | +4.6% |
| 2015 | 56.15 million | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 57.63 million | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 59.19 million | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 60.51 million | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 61.93 million | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 63.23 million | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 64.42 million | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 65.52 million | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 66.34 million | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 66.60 million | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 31.00 million | 28.74 million | 33.74 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 38.43 million | 34.39 million | 43.28 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.78 million | 43.12 million | 48.31 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.45 million | 45.76 million | 48.15 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.06 million | 48.63 million | 61.93 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.22 million | 63.23 million | 66.60 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries
- 103 Kyrgyzstan 637,102 compare
- 104 Lebanon 626,804 compare
- 105 Azerbaijan 587,924 compare
- 106 Czechia 587,903 compare
- 107 Palestine, State of 574,936 compare
- 108 Ireland 562,836 compare
- 109 Greece 557,140 compare
More education data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 17.93 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.81 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 22.79 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 24.28 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.22 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.3301 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.84 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 5.99 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries →
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries was 66.60 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries?
- The highest recorded value was 66.60 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.74 million in 1970.
- How does UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries ranks 106th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Middle East and North Africa Programme Countries 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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About this data
February 2026 Data Release