School age population, primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)

WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income): School age population, primary education, both sexes was 91.25 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
91.25 million
Change on year
up 0.5%
Rank
86th
of 221 groups
All-time high
91.25 million
in 2024
All-time low
31.13 million
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024

School age population, primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), 1970–2024

40.0M60.0M80.0M100.0M197019972024

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2024, school age population, primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) stood at 91.25 million. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 18.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) peaked at 91.25 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 31.13 million, in 1970.

WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 86th of 221 groups on this measure, 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 WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), year by year

Annual values for School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 31.13 million
1971 32.24 million +3.6%
1972 32.34 million +0.3%
1973 33.25 million +2.8%
1974 34.13 million +2.7%
1975 34.98 million +2.5%
1976 35.95 million +2.8%
1977 37.01 million +2.9%
1978 38.01 million +2.7%
1979 39.02 million +2.6%
1980 40.00 million +2.5%
1981 40.97 million +2.4%
1982 41.89 million +2.2%
1983 43.08 million +2.8%
1984 44.43 million +3.1%
1985 46.00 million +3.5%
1986 47.62 million +3.5%
1987 49.41 million +3.8%
1988 51.20 million +3.6%
1989 53.13 million +3.8%
1990 53.70 million +1.1%
1991 55.96 million +4.2%
1992 57.62 million +3.0%
1993 59.35 million +3.0%
1994 60.92 million +2.6%
1995 62.14 million +2.0%
1996 63.19 million +1.7%
1997 64.10 million +1.4%
1998 64.87 million +1.2%
1999 65.40 million +0.8%
2000 65.70 million +0.5%
2001 65.75 million +0.1%
2002 65.65 million -0.1%
2003 64.73 million -1.4%
2004 64.87 million +0.2%
2005 66.96 million +3.2%
2006 67.62 million +1.0%
2007 68.16 million +0.8%
2008 68.59 million +0.6%
2009 68.82 million +0.3%
2010 69.55 million +1.1%
2011 70.30 million +1.1%
2012 71.42 million +1.6%
2013 74.00 million +3.6%
2014 76.80 million +3.8%
2015 78.78 million +2.6%
2016 80.79 million +2.5%
2017 82.77 million +2.5%
2018 84.61 million +2.2%
2019 86.33 million +2.0%
2020 87.81 million +1.7%
2021 89.11 million +1.5%
2022 90.08 million +1.1%
2023 90.80 million +0.8%
2024 91.25 million +0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 34.81 million 31.13 million 39.02 million 10
1980s 45.77 million 40.00 million 53.13 million 10
1990s 60.72 million 53.70 million 65.40 million 10
2000s 66.69 million 64.73 million 68.82 million 10
2010s 77.53 million 69.55 million 86.33 million 10
2020s 89.81 million 87.81 million 91.25 million 5

Countries ranked near WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)

  1. 83 Tunisia 1.27 million compare
  2. 84 Jordan 1.15 million compare
  3. 85 Dominican Republic 1.14 million compare
  4. 86 Netherlands 1.09 million compare
  5. 87 Israel 1.09 million compare
  6. 88 Tajikistan 1.06 million compare
  7. 89 Romania 1.04 million compare

See the full ranking of 443 places →

More education data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)

All data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
School age population, primary education, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) was 91.25 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
The highest recorded value was 91.25 million in 2024.
What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
The lowest recorded value was 31.13 million in 1970.
How does WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 86th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) 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 WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-primary-education-both-sexes-number-2/wb-middle-east-and-north-africa-excluding-high-income/

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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