School age population, primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: School age population, primary education, both sexes was 58.86 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising
Latest (2019)
58.86 million number
Change on year
up 1.0%
Rank
28th
of 45 groups
All-time high
60.02 million number
in 1997
All-time low
40.64 million number
in 1970
Years of data
50
1970–2019
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.
Analysis
In 2019, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean stood at 58.86 million number.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 60.02 million number in 1997 and was at its lowest, 40.64 million number, in 1970.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 28th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 40.64 million number | — |
| 1971 | 41.78 million number | +2.8% |
| 1972 | 42.79 million number | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 43.70 million number | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 44.49 million number | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 45.16 million number | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 45.86 million number | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 46.54 million number | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 47.21 million number | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 47.89 million number | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 48.69 million number | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 49.40 million number | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 50.18 million number | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 51.02 million number | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 51.91 million number | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 52.75 million number | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 53.53 million number | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 54.33 million number | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 55.03 million number | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 55.68 million number | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 56.25 million number | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 56.83 million number | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 57.36 million number | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 57.81 million number | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 58.23 million number | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 58.60 million number | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 58.96 million number | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 60.02 million number | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 58.72 million number | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 57.67 million number | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 59.14 million number | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 58.52 million number | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 58.74 million number | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 59.08 million number | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 59.79 million number | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 59.52 million number | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 59.41 million number | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 59.35 million number | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 58.73 million number | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 58.54 million number | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 58.50 million number | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 57.55 million number | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 57.05 million number | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 59.70 million number | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 59.48 million number | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 59.28 million number | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 58.78 million number | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 58.42 million number | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 58.26 million number | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 58.86 million number | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 44.61 million number | 40.64 million number | 47.89 million number | 10 |
| 1980s | 52.25 million number | 48.69 million number | 55.68 million number | 10 |
| 1990s | 58.05 million number | 56.25 million number | 60.02 million number | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.08 million number | 58.52 million number | 59.79 million number | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.59 million number | 57.05 million number | 59.70 million number | 10 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 25 Angola 5.86 million number compare
- 26 Türkiye 5.47 million number compare
- 27 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4.92 million number compare
- 28 Thailand 4.78 million number compare
- 29 Myanmar 4.57 million number compare
- 30 Yemen 4.49 million number compare
- 31 Ghana 4.43 million number compare
More education data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.34 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 63.30 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 61.44 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1923 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0928 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 22.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean was 58.86 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 60.02 million number in 1997.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.64 million number in 1970.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 28th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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
Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to primary education as indicated by theoretical entrance age and duration.