Saudi Arabia: Secondary education, pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 19.4% in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.1% in 2019. 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 upward, about 83,250 a year. A straight line explains 71% of the movement over 9 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, Saudi Arabia had the 15th 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 Saudi Arabia in the 2024 ranking

• Spain — 11th of 100: 3.71 million
• Nepal — 12th of 100: 3.67 million
• Morocco — 13th of 100: 3.57 million
• Ghana — 15th of 100: 3.33 million
• Poland — 16th of 100: 3.33 million
• Côte d'Ivoire — 17th of 100: 3.28 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 15 values

Secondary education, pupils in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 3.43 million (2023)
• Algeria — 6.07 million (2024)
• Bahrain — 109,221 (2024)
• Djibouti — 69,362 (2023)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 11.56 million (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 6.62 million (2023)
• Israel — 948,390 (2024)
• Jordan — 1.03 million (2024)
• Kuwait — 302,047 (2015)
• Lebanon — 417,800 (2024)
• Malta — 32,424 (2023)
• Morocco

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Saudi Arabia's secondary education, pupils?

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

How has it changed since 1979?

It is up 1,035% from 296,340 in 1979 (5.55% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 3.4 million in 2022 and the lowest 296,340 in 1979.

How does Saudi Arabia rank?

15th highest of 100 economies with data for 2024.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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..

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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