Primary education, pupils in North America
North America: Primary education, pupils was 26.20 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary education, pupils in North America, 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2024, primary education, pupils in North America stood at 26.20 million.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in North America peaked at 27.51 million in 2001 and was at its lowest, 21.41 million, in 1979.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 23.65 million | 21.41 million | 27.44 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.50 million | 22.10 million | 27.30 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.25 million | 24.63 million | 27.44 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.01 million | 26.63 million | 27.51 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.05 million | 26.63 million | 27.49 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.31 million | 25.91 million | 26.90 million | 5 |
More education data for North America
- Population ages 0-14 16.9% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.5% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 96.8% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 2.04 million (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 96.2% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 97.4% (2024)
- Labor force, female 45.8% (2025)
- Labor force, total 197.68 million (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 0.995 GPI (2020)
- School enrollment, secondary 98.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in North America?
- Primary education, pupils in North America was 26.20 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 27.51 million in 2001.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.41 million in 1979.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. 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 Primary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.