{
 "id": "pupils-and-teachers-by-nation",
 "title": "Pupils and teachers in each of the UK's nations",
 "category": "education",
 "summary": "Pupils in schools in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each school year since 2015/16, and full-time equivalent teachers since 2019/20, from the Department for Education's UK statistics.",
 "unit": "count",
 "chart": "line",
 "volatile": false,
 "status": "",
 "notes": [
  "Pupils and full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded and independent schools, as each nation counts them: Scotland's include funded early learning and childcare and leave out independent schools, and Wales's leave out independent schools in 2019/20. Northern Ireland's 2023/24 pupil count was lowered by industrial action and is not comparable with other years.",
  "Figures for each nation are rounded to the nearest 5; the UK's are not. The UK totals are on the headline only, since a chart shows eight series at most."
 ],
 "provenance": {
  "publisher": "Department for Education",
  "publisher_url": "https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/",
  "source_page": "https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-and-training-statistics-for-the-uk",
  "licence": "OGL-3.0",
  "licence_name": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.",
  "retrieved_at": "2026-10-31T11:12:59Z",
  "raw_files": [
   {
    "name": "catalogue.json",
    "url": "https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/data-set-files?publicationId=2ffbc8d3-eb53-4c4b-a6fb-219a5b95ebc8&latestOnly=true&pageSize=40",
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    "content_type": "application/json; charset=utf-8"
   },
   {
    "name": "pupils.zip",
    "url": "https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/e1c4fc25-3076-4832-830a-08ddcab5041f/files?fileIds=f47c0d9d-f516-44e4-c1a9-08ddd67d4d79",
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   },
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    "name": "teachers.zip",
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  ]
 },
 "meta": {
  "latest_period": "2024/25",
  "united_kingdom": {
   "pupils": 10643366.0,
   "teachers": 641016.321
  }
 },
 "headline": {
  "label": "Pupils in the UK",
  "value": 10643366.0,
  "period": "2024/25",
  "note": "taught by 641,016 full-time equivalent teachers"
 },
 "series": [
  {
   "name": "England, pupils",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2015/16",
     "v": 8559645.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2016/17",
     "v": 8669080.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2017/18",
     "v": 8735100.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2018/19",
     "v": 8819290.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2019/20",
     "v": 8890355.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2020/21",
     "v": 8911885.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2021/22",
     "v": 9000025.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022/23",
     "v": 9073780.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023/24",
     "v": 9092075.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024/25",
     "v": 9032425.0
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "name": "Wales, pupils",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2015/16",
     "v": 475435.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2016/17",
     "v": 475890.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2017/18",
     "v": 476870.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2018/19",
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    },
    {
     "x": "2019/20",
     "v": 469175.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2020/21",
     "v": 484580.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2021/22",
     "v": 481165.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022/23",
     "v": 479710.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023/24",
     "v": 475965.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024/25",
     "v": 469825.0
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "name": "Scotland, pupils",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2015/16",
     "v": 777220.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2016/17",
     "v": 781310.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2017/18",
     "v": 784850.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2018/19",
     "v": 789800.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2019/20",
     "v": 794365.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2020/21",
     "v": 792325.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2021/22",
     "v": 796325.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022/23",
     "v": 798490.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023/24",
     "v": 797710.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024/25",
     "v": 792750.0
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "name": "Northern Ireland, pupils",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2015/16",
     "v": 331070.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2016/17",
     "v": 333500.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2017/18",
     "v": 336175.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2018/19",
     "v": 338885.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2019/20",
     "v": 341400.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2020/21",
     "v": 344860.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2021/22",
     "v": 347205.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022/23",
     "v": 348905.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023/24",
     "v": 267740.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024/25",
     "v": 348365.0
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "name": "England, teachers",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2015/16",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2016/17",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2017/18",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2018/19",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2019/20",
     "v": 530800.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2020/21",
     "v": 538415.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2021/22",
     "v": 537285.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022/23",
     "v": 541690.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023/24",
     "v": 543930.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024/25",
     "v": 542355.0
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "name": "Wales, teachers",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2015/16",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2016/17",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2017/18",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2018/19",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2019/20",
     "v": 23595.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2020/21",
     "v": 25615.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2021/22",
     "v": 25840.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022/23",
     "v": 26070.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023/24",
     "v": 25525.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024/25",
     "v": 25025.0
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "name": "Scotland, teachers",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2015/16",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2016/17",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2017/18",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2018/19",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2019/20",
     "v": 52245.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2020/21",
     "v": 53400.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2021/22",
     "v": 54285.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022/23",
     "v": 54195.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023/24",
     "v": 54035.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024/25",
     "v": 53410.0
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "name": "Northern Ireland, teachers",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2015/16",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2016/17",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2017/18",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2018/19",
     "v": null
    },
    {
     "x": "2019/20",
     "v": 18505.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2020/21",
     "v": 19000.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2021/22",
     "v": 19455.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022/23",
     "v": 19955.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023/24",
     "v": 19995.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024/25",
     "v": 20225.0
    }
   ]
  }
 ]
}