School-age population (primary level) in Iran
Iran: School-age population (primary level) was 9.05 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
9.05 million
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
2nd
of 72 countries
All-time high
9.61 million
in 1995
All-time low
4.25 million
in 1972
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School-age population in Iran, 1970–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school-age population in Iran is 9.05 million, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 22.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in Iran peaked at 9.61 million in 1995 and was at its lowest, 4.25 million, in 1972.
That places Iran 2nd out of 72 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School-age population (primary level) in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.84 million | — |
| 1971 | 4.95 million | +2.1% |
| 1972 | 4.25 million | -14.1% |
| 1973 | 4.36 million | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 4.48 million | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 4.62 million | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 4.77 million | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 4.91 million | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 5.03 million | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 5.12 million | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 5.20 million | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 5.30 million | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 5.45 million | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 5.66 million | +3.8% |
| 1984 | 5.94 million | +5.0% |
| 1985 | 6.30 million | +6.0% |
| 1986 | 6.72 million | +6.8% |
| 1987 | 7.18 million | +6.9% |
| 1988 | 7.63 million | +6.3% |
| 1989 | 8.13 million | +6.5% |
| 1990 | 8.59 million | +5.6% |
| 1991 | 8.98 million | +4.6% |
| 1992 | 9.30 million | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 9.54 million | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 9.61 million | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 9.61 million | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 9.53 million | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 9.40 million | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 9.20 million | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 8.90 million | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 8.48 million | -4.7% |
| 2001 | 7.91 million | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 7.26 million | -8.2% |
| 2003 | 6.58 million | -9.4% |
| 2004 | 6.14 million | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 5.90 million | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 5.84 million | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 5.84 million | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 5.77 million | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 5.74 million | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 5.72 million | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 5.73 million | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 5.80 million | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 7.05 million | +21.6% |
| 2014 | 7.19 million | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 7.37 million | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 7.57 million | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 7.76 million | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 7.92 million | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 8.09 million | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 8.28 million | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 8.49 million | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 8.71 million | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 8.91 million | +2.3% |
| 2024 | 9.05 million | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 9.05 million | +0.1% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 9.05 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 587,924, 15.4× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Iran's 9.05 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.15 million, 7.9× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.73 million | 4.25 million | 5.12 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.35 million | 5.20 million | 8.13 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.27 million | 8.59 million | 9.61 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.55 million | 5.74 million | 8.48 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.02 million | 5.72 million | 8.09 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.75 million | 8.28 million | 9.05 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More education data for Iran
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.5 (2020)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.9 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school-age population in Iran?
- School-age population in Iran was 9.05 million in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 9.61 million in 1995.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.25 million in 1972.
- How does Iran rank for school-age population?
- Iran ranks 2nd out of 72 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school-age population rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran 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
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