Germany: Secondary education, pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Germany's secondary education, pupils rose 0.6% on 2023 (from 6.93 million to 6.97 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.4% and a typical year strayed about 1.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.8% in 1993 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.6% in 1998. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 22,222 a year. A straight line explains 51% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Germany had the 8th highest value of the 100 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Germany in the 2024 ranking

• Mexico — 5th of 100: 13.99 million
• Philippines — 6th of 100: 11.87 million
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 7th of 100: 11.56 million
• France — 9th of 100: 6.27 million
• Algeria — 10th of 100: 6.07 million
• Spain — 11th of 100: 3.71 million

What this measures

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

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 34 values

Secondary education, pupils in nearby economies

• Albania — 208,738 (2024)
• Andorra — 5,245 (2024)
• Armenia — 290,201 (2024)
• Austria — 706,802 (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 1.06 million (2024)
• Belarus — 729,741 (2024)
• Belgium — 1.18 million (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 226,755 (2023)
• Bulgaria — 485,226 (2024)
• Croatia — 325,996 (2023)
• Cyprus — 61,230 (2024)
• Czechia

More education data for Germany

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 4 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 10 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 9 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 3.31 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 283,851 (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers — 618,670 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) — 5.13% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 87.33% (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers, female — 395,262 (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Germany's secondary education, pupils?

6.97 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1991?

It is down 5.8% from 7.4 million in 1991 (0.18% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 8.47 million in 2002 and the lowest 6.83 million in 2022.

How does Germany rank?

8th highest of 100 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in secondary education, pupils unusual for Germany?

In 2024, Germany's secondary education, pupils rose 0.6% on 2023 (from 6.93 million to 6.97 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.4% and a typical year strayed about 1.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.ENRL, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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