Primary education, teachers in India

India: Primary education, teachers was 5.19 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
5.19 million
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
2nd
of 204 countries
All-time high
5.19 million
in 2025
All-time low
1.38 million
in 1971
Years of data
24
1971–2025

Primary education, teachers in India, 1971–2025

1.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M1971199820251971: 1.4M1972: 1.4M1973: 1.5M1974: 1.5M1975: 1.5M1976: 1.6M1979: 1.6M1999: 2.8M2000: 2.8M2001: 2.8M2002: 2.8M2003: 3.0M2011: 3.9M2013: 4.4M2014: 4.4M2015: 4.4M2017: 4.4M2019: 4.3M2020: 4.6M2021: 4.6M2022: 4.7M2023: 4.8M2024: 5.0M2025: 5.2M

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

Analysis

In 2025, primary education, teachers in India stood at 5.19 million. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary education, teachers in India peaked at 5.19 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.38 million, in 1971.

That places India 2nd out of 204 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.49 million 1.38 million 1.60 million 7
1990s 2.77 million 2.77 million 2.77 million 1
2000s 2.89 million 2.83 million 3.04 million 4
2010s 4.30 million 3.92 million 4.40 million 6
2020s 4.82 million 4.60 million 5.19 million 6

Countries ranked near India

  1. 1 China 6.74 million compare
  2. 3 United States 1.78 million compare
  3. 4 Indonesia 1.51 million compare
  4. 5 Nigeria 913,305 compare

See the full ranking of 249 places →

More education data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary education, teachers in India?
Primary education, teachers in India was 5.19 million in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary education, teachers recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 5.19 million in 2025.
What is the lowest primary education, teachers recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 1.38 million in 1971.
How does India rank for primary education, teachers?
India ranks 2nd out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
Is primary education, teachers rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, teachers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Primary education, teachers
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
249 places, 9,469 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.