Secondary education, pupils in North America

North America: Secondary education, pupils was 28.14 million in 2024. β–² Rising

Latest (2024)
28.14 million
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
38th
of 44 groups
All-time high
28.14 million
in 2024
All-time low
21.53 million
in 1990
Years of data
55
1970–2024

Secondary education, pupils in North America, 1970–2024

010.0M20.0M30.0M197019972024

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

The most recent figure for secondary education, pupils in North America is 28.14 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, secondary education, pupils in North America peaked at 28.14 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 21.53 million, in 1990.

North America ranks 38th of 44 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 24.01 million 22.04 million 25.19 million 10
1980s 23.85 million 22.68 million 24.85 million 10
1990s 23.69 million 21.53 million 25.12 million 10
2000s 26.55 million 25.12 million 27.37 million 10
2010s 27.12 million 26.73 million 27.68 million 10
2020s 28.02 million 27.87 million 28.14 million 5

Countries ranked near North America

  1. 35 Saudi Arabia 3.36 million compare
  2. 36 Ghana 3.33 million compare
  3. 37 Poland 3.33 million compare
  4. 38 Cote d'Ivoire 3.28 million compare
  5. 39 Peru 3.11 million compare
  6. 40 Tanzania 2.83 million compare
  7. 41 Canada 2.70 million compare

See the full ranking of 251 places β†’

More education data for North America

All data for North America β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is secondary education, pupils in North America?
Secondary education, pupils in North America was 28.14 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest secondary education, pupils recorded in North America?
The highest recorded value was 28.14 million in 2024.
What is the lowest secondary education, pupils recorded in North America?
The lowest recorded value was 21.53 million in 1990.
How does North America rank for secondary education, pupils?
North America ranks 38th out of 44 groups with data for 2024.
Is secondary education, pupils rising or falling in North America?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this North America data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Secondary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Secondary education, pupils in North America. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/secondary-education-pupils/north-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Secondary education, pupils
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 10,025 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.