School-age population in France

France: School-age population 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

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M2000201220242000: 3.9M2001: 3.8M2002: 3.8M2003: 3.8M2004: 3.8M2005: 3.8M2006: 3.9M2007: 4.0M2008: 4.0M2009: 4.0M2010: 4.0M2011: 4.1M2012: 4.1M2013: 4.1M2014: 4.1M2015: 4.2M2016: 4.2M2017: 4.2M2018: 4.2M2019: 4.2M2020: 4.2M2021: 4.2M2022: 4.1M2023: 4.0M2024: 4.0M

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 7 Türkiye 5.23 million compare
  2. 8 Algeria 5.02 million compare
  3. 9 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4.78 million compare
  4. 11 Morocco 3.92 million compare
  5. 12 Saudi Arabia 3.32 million compare
  6. 13 Germany 3.22 million compare

See the full ranking of 72 places →

More education data for France

All data for France →

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.

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School-age population in France. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-primary-level/france/

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About this data

Indicator
School-age population (primary level)
Source
UNICEF
Licence
UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
72 places, 2,931 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed