School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes was 3.94 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
3.94 million
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
17th
of 220 countries
All-time high
7.72 million
in 2002
All-time low
1.83 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Iran, Islamic Republic of recorded 3.94 million for school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 7.72 million in 2002 and was at its lowest, 1.83 million, in 1970.
That places Iran, Islamic Republic of 17th out of 220 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, upper secondary education, both sexes in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.83 million | — |
| 1971 | 1.91 million | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 2.08 million | +9.0% |
| 1973 | 2.17 million | +4.3% |
| 1974 | 2.26 million | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 2.33 million | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 2.39 million | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 2.43 million | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 3.26 million | +34.5% |
| 1979 | 3.32 million | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 3.40 million | +2.3% |
| 1981 | 3.49 million | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 3.68 million | +5.4% |
| 1983 | 3.79 million | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 3.90 million | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 3.99 million | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 4.07 million | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 4.14 million | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 4.20 million | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 4.28 million | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 4.39 million | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 4.60 million | +4.7% |
| 1992 | 4.85 million | +5.4% |
| 1993 | 5.13 million | +5.8% |
| 1994 | 5.40 million | +5.3% |
| 1995 | 5.79 million | +7.2% |
| 1996 | 6.17 million | +6.6% |
| 1997 | 6.59 million | +6.7% |
| 1998 | 6.96 million | +5.6% |
| 1999 | 7.28 million | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 7.54 million | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 7.67 million | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 7.72 million | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 7.63 million | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 7.55 million | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 7.41 million | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 7.18 million | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 6.86 million | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 6.49 million | -5.5% |
| 2009 | 6.08 million | -6.2% |
| 2010 | 5.70 million | -6.3% |
| 2011 | 5.37 million | -5.8% |
| 2012 | 5.10 million | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 4.88 million | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 4.73 million | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 4.63 million | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 3.44 million | -25.7% |
| 2017 | 3.42 million | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 3.40 million | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 3.41 million | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 3.44 million | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 3.51 million | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 3.64 million | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 3.76 million | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 3.86 million | +2.7% |
| 2025 | 3.94 million | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.40 million | 1.83 million | 3.32 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.90 million | 3.40 million | 4.28 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.72 million | 4.39 million | 7.28 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.21 million | 6.08 million | 7.72 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.41 million | 3.40 million | 5.70 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.69 million | 3.44 million | 3.94 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
- 14 Türkiye 5.16 million compare
- 15 Viet Nam 4.62 million compare
- 16 Philippines 4.60 million compare
- 18 Sudan 3.36 million compare
- 19 Russian Federation 3.35 million compare
- 20 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 3.30 million compare
More education data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 372,396 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 1 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 5 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 69.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 22.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 3.94 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 7.72 million in 2002.
- What is the lowest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.83 million in 1970.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 17th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release