School age population, primary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: School age population, primary education, both sexes was 4.78 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
School age population, primary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, school age population, primary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 4.78 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 4.83 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 4.18 million, in 2010.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 31st out of 222 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.60 million | — |
| 2001 | 4.55 million | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 4.50 million | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 4.46 million | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 4.42 million | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 4.38 million | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 4.33 million | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 4.28 million | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 4.22 million | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 4.19 million | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 4.18 million | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 4.21 million | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 4.28 million | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 4.39 million | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 4.51 million | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 4.61 million | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 4.70 million | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 4.78 million | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 4.83 million | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 4.83 million | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 4.79 million | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 4.76 million | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 4.75 million | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 4.76 million | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 4.78 million | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.39 million | 4.19 million | 4.60 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.53 million | 4.18 million | 4.83 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.77 million | 4.75 million | 4.79 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.49 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 281,128 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate -0.4388 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.16 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.19 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 3.24 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.79 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.62 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -0.929 % change on previous year (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 4.78 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 4.83 million in 2018.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.18 million in 2010.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 31st out of 222 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release