Primary education, pupils in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Primary education, pupils was 21.15 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
21.15 million
Change on year
up 4.8%
World rank
7th
of 206 countries
All-time high
21.15 million
in 2023
All-time low
3.09 million
in 1971
Years of data
40
1971–2023

Primary education, pupils in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1971–2023

5.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M1971199720231971: 3.1M1972: 3.2M1973: 3.3M1974: 3.4M1975: 3.4M1976: 3.5M1977: 3.6M1978: 3.8M1979: 3.9M1980: 4.1M1981: 4.2M1982: 4.3M1983: 4.5M1984: 4.7M1985: 4.5M1986: 4.7M1987: 4.2M1988: 4.4M1990: 3.4M1991: 4.6M1992: 4.6M1993: 4.9M1994: 4.9M1995: 5.4M1998: 4.8M1999: 4.0M2002: 5.5M2007: 8.8M2008: 10.0M2009: 10.2M2010: 10.6M2011: 11.1M2012: 12.0M2013: 12.6M2014: 13.5M2015: 13.8M2018: 16.8M2020: 18.8M2021: 20.2M2023: 21.1M

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

Analysis

Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 21.15 million for primary education, pupils in 2023. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.

The figure is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 67.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 21.15 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.09 million, in 1971.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 3.47 million 3.09 million 3.92 million 9
1980s 4.38 million 4.05 million 4.65 million 9
1990s 4.59 million 3.43 million 5.42 million 8
2000s 8.63 million 5.46 million 10.24 million 4
2010s 12.91 million 10.57 million 16.81 million 7
2020s 20.03 million 18.79 million 21.15 million 3

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 4 Indonesia 28.68 million compare
  2. 5 Pakistan 25.38 million compare
  3. 6 United States 23.83 million compare
  4. 8 Bangladesh 16.69 million compare
  5. 9 Ethiopia 15.93 million compare
  6. 10 Egypt 15.40 million compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary education, pupils in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Primary education, pupils in Democratic Republic of Congo was 21.15 million in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 21.15 million in 2023.
What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 3.09 million in 1971.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for primary education, pupils?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 67.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 40 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Primary education, pupils
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 11,297 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

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