Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school was 26.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Saudi Arabia, 2013–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Saudi Arabia is 26.5%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is up 18.9% on the previous year and up 90.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Saudi Arabia peaked at 26.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 2013.
That places Saudi Arabia 149th out of 178 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 11.0% | — |
| 2014 | 13.9% | +26.2% |
| 2015 | 16.7% | +20.3% |
| 2016 | 16.7% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 17.7% | +6.4% |
| 2018 | 17.4% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 19.1% | +10.2% |
| 2020 | 22.8% | +19.3% |
| 2021 | 16.1% | -29.5% |
| 2022 | 22.3% | +38.6% |
| 2024 | 26.5% | +18.9% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 26.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 87.1%, 30% of the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 26.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 51.5%, 51% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 16.1% | 11.0% | 19.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 21.9% | 16.1% | 26.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Saudi Arabia was 26.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 26.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 2013.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 149th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children enrolled in pre-primary school rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 90.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of pre-primary school age (typically 3–5 years old) who are enrolled in pre-primary education.