Saudi Arabia: Secondary education, general pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Saudi Arabia's secondary education, general pupils rose 2.3% on 2017 (from 3.02 million to 3.09 million).

Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2017), the average change was +1% and a typical year strayed about 3.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 5.5% in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.8% in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 19% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2018, Saudi Arabia had the 11th highest value of the 85 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 Saudi Arabia in the 2018 ranking

• Colombia — 8th of 85: 4.46 million
• Myanmar — 9th of 85: 4.18 million
• Algeria — 10th of 85: 4.08 million
• Afghanistan — 12th of 85: 3.04 million
• Peru — 13th of 85: 2.72 million
• Morocco — 14th of 85: 2.62 million

What this measures

Secondary general pupils are the number of secondary students enrolled in general education programs, including teacher training.

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

All 14 values

Secondary education, general pupils in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 3.04 million (2018)
• Algeria — 4.08 million (2018)
• Bahrain — 92,483 (2018)
• Djibouti — 60,822 (2019)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 7.12 million (2018)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 4.92 million (2017)
• Israel — 657,883 (2017)
• Jordan — 766,641 (2018)
• Kuwait — 324,426 (2018)
• Lebanon — 339,951 (2018)
• Malta

More education data for Saudi Arabia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 83.88% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.01 (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, female (% gross) — 84.15% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, male (% gross) — 83.65% (2024)
• Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) — 48.05% (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Saudi Arabia's secondary education, general pupils?

3.09 million in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1979?

It is up 1,028% from 273,694 in 1979 (6.41% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 3.3 million in 2015 and the lowest 273,694 in 1979.

How does Saudi Arabia rank?

11th highest of 85 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in secondary education, general pupils unusual for Saudi Arabia?

In 2018, Saudi Arabia's secondary education, general pupils rose 2.3% on 2017 (from 3.02 million to 3.09 million). Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2017), the average change was +1% and a typical year strayed about 3.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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.GC, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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