GCC student enrolment set to rise in five years: Report

The education sector in the GCC is expanding on record breaking as the number of students in the region is likely to grow by 1.5 million to reach 15.5 million by 2029.

This was revealed in a report unveiled by the UAE-based investment banking advisory firm, Alpen Capital.

The GCC Education Industry report also features forecasts on the sector, recent analysis on trends, growth drivers and challenges facing the segment. It also profiles select education companies in the region.

The report was launched over a webinar followed by a panel discussion featuring Alan Williamson, Chief Executive Officer, Taaleem; Dinesh Kothari, Chairman, Delhi Private School Dubai; Ibrahim Al Turki, Chief Executive Officer, Integrated Development Holding for Education and Training and Amjad Al Omari, Senior Director, Alpen Capital. Hameed Noor Mohamed, Managing Director, Alpen Capital moderated the discussion.

The experts while discussing different aspects of the report mentioned that the number of K-12 students in private schools are expected to grow at a slightly faster pace of 2.3% CAGR, as compared to public schools which is forecast to increase at a CAGR of 2.0% between 2024 – 2029.

With the exception of UAE, public schools are expected to retain their dominant position in the GCC’s K–12 educational landscape, accounting for approximately 70.8% of total enrolments by the end of the forecast period.

Among the GCC nations, Saudi Arabia is expected to remain the largest education market, accounting for 64.6% of the region’s total student enrolments by 2029.

The demand for schools across the GCC region is expected to rise at a CAGR of 1.4% during the forecast period, requiring an addition of more than 2,800 schools by 2029. Within this, demand for private schools is expected to expand at a CAGR of 2.4%, outpacing the public school segment.