School-age population (primary level) in France
France: School-age population (primary level) was 3.99 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
3.99 million
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
10th
of 72 countries
All-time high
4.21 million
in 2017
All-time low
3.79 million
in 2004
Years of data
25
2000–2024
School-age population in France, 2000–2024
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
France recorded 3.99 million for school-age population in 2024.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in France peaked at 4.21 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 3.79 million, in 2004.
France ranks 10th of 72 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
School-age population (primary level) in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.87 million | — |
| 2001 | 3.82 million | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 3.80 million | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 3.79 million | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 3.79 million | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 3.84 million | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 3.89 million | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 3.95 million | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 3.99 million | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 4.03 million | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 4.05 million | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 4.06 million | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 4.05 million | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 4.08 million | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 4.14 million | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 4.17 million | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 4.19 million | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 4.21 million | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 4.20 million | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 4.20 million | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 4.17 million | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 4.15 million | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 4.10 million | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 4.05 million | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 3.99 million | -1.4% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 3.99 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 380,422, 10.5× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- France's 3.99 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 432,925, 9.2× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.88 million | 3.79 million | 4.03 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.13 million | 4.05 million | 4.21 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.09 million | 3.99 million | 4.17 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near France
More education data for France
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.97 (2016)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.8 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school-age population in France?
- School-age population in France was 3.99 million in 2024, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 4.21 million in 2017.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.79 million in 2004.
- How does France rank for school-age population?
- France ranks 10th out of 72 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school-age population rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of School-age population (primary level). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).