Enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes was 2.18 million number in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
2.18 million number
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
17th
of 171 countries
All-time high
2.25 million number
in 2016
All-time low
822,407 number
in 2004
Years of data
21
1998–2018

Enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1998–2018

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1998200820181998: 1.2M number1999: 1.2M number2000: 1.2M number2001: 1.2M number2002: 1.2M number2003: 1.1M number2004: 822.4k number2005: 977.4k number2006: 989.6k number2007: 1.0M number2008: 1.1M number2009: 1.1M number2010: 1.2M number2011: 1.2M number2012: 1.3M number2013: 1.5M number2014: 1.6M number2015: 2.0M number2016: 2.2M number2017: 2.2M number2018: 2.2M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 2.18 million number for enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes in 2018.

The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 97.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 2.25 million number in 2016 and was at its lowest, 822,407 number, in 2004.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 17th out of 171 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.

Enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes (number) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1998 to 2018.
Year number Change
1998 1.15 million number
1999 1.16 million number +0.3%
2000 1.18 million number +2.4%
2001 1.19 million number +0.3%
2002 1.18 million number -0.6%
2003 1.08 million number -8.2%
2004 822,407 number -24.1%
2005 977,448 number +18.9%
2006 989,596 number +1.2%
2007 1.00 million number +1.5%
2008 1.11 million number +10.3%
2009 1.12 million number +1.2%
2010 1.18 million number +4.8%
2011 1.25 million number +6.2%
2012 1.28 million number +2.7%
2013 1.52 million number +18.3%
2014 1.60 million number +5.3%
2015 2.04 million number +27.5%
2016 2.25 million number +10.5%
2017 2.19 million number -2.5%
2018 2.18 million number -0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.15 million number 1.15 million number 1.16 million number 2
2000s 1.07 million number 822,407 number 1.19 million number 10
2010s 1.72 million number 1.18 million number 2.25 million number 9

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 14 Ethiopia 2.51 million number compare
  2. 15 Ghana 2.36 million number compare
  3. 16 Philippines 2.27 million number compare
  4. 18 Republic of Korea 1.99 million number compare
  5. 19 Argentina 1.82 million number compare
  6. 20 Peru 1.77 million number compare

See the full ranking of 171 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 2.18 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 2.25 million number in 2016.
What is the lowest enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 822,407 number in 2004.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 17th out of 171 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 97.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-early-childhood-education-both-sexes-number/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in early childhood education, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
171 places, 2,434 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in public and private early childhood education institutions (ISCED 0) regardless of age. Within ISCED 0, early childhood educational development programmes are targeted at children aged 0 to 2 years; and pre-primary education programmes are targeted at children aged 3 years until the age to start ISCED 1.