The number of children in primary schools in Sweden grew annually over the past decade. In the school year 2016/17, more than one million children attended primary school in Sweden, a number that had increased to over 1.1 million by 2023/24. In 2023, there were more than 1.2 million children between zero and nine years living in Sweden.
Decrease in the number of primary schools
Primary school in Sweden consists of nine years of compulsory education, and the schools are administered by the municipalities. In 2012, there were over 4,900 primary schools in Sweden, but this number decreased annually since, dropping to less than 4,720 schools in the academic year 2022/23.
Increased number of pupils per primary school
The constant increase of pupils attending primary school, combined with the decreasing number of schools, led to a constant increase of number of pupils per primary school during the same period. In 2022/23, there were on average 236 pupils per primary school in Sweden.