School age population, early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: School age population, early childhood education, both sexes was 3.21 million number in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
3.21 million number
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
29th
of 199 countries
All-time high
3.30 million number
in 2016
All-time low
1.38 million number
in 2006
Years of data
23
1998–2020

School age population, early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1998–2020

01.0M2.0M3.0M1998200920201998: 1.5M number1999: 1.5M number2000: 1.5M number2001: 1.5M number2002: 1.4M number2003: 1.4M number2004: 1.4M number2005: 1.4M number2006: 1.4M number2007: 1.4M number2008: 1.4M number2009: 1.4M number2010: 1.4M number2011: 1.5M number2012: 1.5M number2013: 3.2M number2014: 3.3M number2015: 3.3M number2016: 3.3M number2017: 3.3M number2018: 3.2M number2019: 3.2M number2020: 3.2M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2020, school age population, early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 3.21 million number.

The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 123.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 3.30 million number in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.38 million number, in 2006.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 29th out of 199 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

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

Annual values for School age population, early childhood education, both sexes (number) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1998 to 2020.
Year number Change
1998 1.52 million number
1999 1.50 million number -1.3%
2000 1.48 million number -1.3%
2001 1.46 million number -1.4%
2002 1.43 million number -1.9%
2003 1.41 million number -1.9%
2004 1.38 million number -1.6%
2005 1.38 million number -0.6%
2006 1.38 million number -0.1%
2007 1.38 million number +0.2%
2008 1.39 million number +0.7%
2009 1.41 million number +1.3%
2010 1.44 million number +2.2%
2011 1.47 million number +2.3%
2012 1.53 million number +3.8%
2013 3.25 million number +112.8%
2014 3.28 million number +0.9%
2015 3.29 million number +0.3%
2016 3.30 million number +0.2%
2017 3.27 million number -0.9%
2018 3.25 million number -0.7%
2019 3.23 million number -0.6%
2020 3.21 million number -0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.51 million number 1.50 million number 1.52 million number 2
2000s 1.41 million number 1.38 million number 1.48 million number 10
2010s 2.73 million number 1.44 million number 3.30 million number 10
2020s 3.21 million number 3.21 million number 3.21 million number 1

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 26 Morocco 3.46 million number compare
  2. 27 Tanzania, United Republic of 3.44 million number compare
  3. 28 Peru 3.33 million number compare
  4. 30 Mozambique 2.88 million number compare
  5. 31 Guatemala 2.85 million number compare
  6. 32 Uzbekistan 2.69 million number compare

See the full ranking of 239 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 school age population, early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
School age population, early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 3.21 million number in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, early childhood education, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 3.30 million number in 2016.
What is the lowest school age population, early childhood education, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 1.38 million number in 2006.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for school age population, early childhood education, both sexes?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 29th out of 199 countries with data for 2020.
Is school age population, 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 123.0%. 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 School age population, early childhood education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, early childhood education, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-early-childhood-education-both-sexes-number/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, early childhood education, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
239 places, 5,152 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to early childhood education (ISCED 0) as indicated by theoretical entrance age and duration. 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. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/