Secondary education, pupils in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Secondary education, pupils was 6.40 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Secondary education, pupils in United Kingdom, 1971–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for secondary education, pupils in United Kingdom is 6.40 million, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, secondary education, pupils in United Kingdom peaked at 6.56 million in 2014 and was at its lowest, 4.15 million, in 1971.
That places United Kingdom 20th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.87 million | 4.15 million | 5.38 million | 9 |
| 1980s | 5.00 million | 4.37 million | 5.36 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.80 million | 4.28 million | 5.20 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.47 million | 5.31 million | 5.76 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.95 million | 4.85 million | 6.56 million | 9 |
| 2020s | 6.26 million | 6.13 million | 6.40 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 102.2% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 281,128 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female 102.1% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, male 102.2% (2023)
- Labor force, total 35.41 million (2025)
- Labor force, female 47.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is secondary education, pupils in United Kingdom?
- Secondary education, pupils in United Kingdom was 6.40 million in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest secondary education, pupils recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 6.56 million in 2014.
- What is the lowest secondary education, pupils recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.15 million in 1971.
- How does United Kingdom rank for secondary education, pupils?
- United Kingdom ranks 20th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is secondary education, pupils rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Secondary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.