Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Ghana

Ghana: Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both was 724,820 number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
724,820 number
Change on year
down 18.4%
World rank
27th
of 142 countries
All-time high
1.67 million number
in 2003
All-time low
724,820 number
in 2019
Years of data
17
1999–2019

Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Ghana, 1999–2019

0500.0k1.0M1.5M1999200920191999: 1.5M number2000: 1.5M number2001: 1.6M number2002: 1.5M number2003: 1.7M number2005: 1.5M number2006: 1.3M number2007: 1.1M number2008: 1.1M number2009: 1.2M number2013: 862.7k number2014: 1.0M number2015: 858.5k number2016: 902.5k number2017: 910.2k number2018: 887.8k number2019: 724.8k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Ghana stood at 724,820 number. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.4% on the previous year and down 37.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Ghana peaked at 1.67 million number in 2003 and was at its lowest, 724,820 number, in 2019.

That places Ghana 27th out of 142 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.

Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Ghana, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both sexes (number) in Ghana, 1999 to 2019.
Year number Change
1999 1.49 million number
2000 1.50 million number +0.4%
2001 1.58 million number +5.5%
2002 1.54 million number -2.4%
2003 1.67 million number +8.5%
2005 1.47 million number -12.2%
2006 1.27 million number -13.8%
2007 1.11 million number -12.6%
2008 1.09 million number -1.1%
2009 1.16 million number +5.7%
2013 862,668 number -25.4%
2014 1.04 million number +20.2%
2015 858,516 number -17.2%
2016 902,520 number +5.1%
2017 910,194 number +0.9%
2018 887,784 number -2.5%
2019 724,820 number -18.4%

Ghana compared with similar countries

  • Ghana's 724,820 number is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 264,922 number, 2.7× the median. (28 countries reporting)
  • Ghana's 724,820 number is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 724,820 number, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.49 million number 1.49 million number 1.49 million number 1
2000s 1.38 million number 1.09 million number 1.67 million number 9
2010s 883,340 number 724,820 number 1.04 million number 7

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 24 Philippines 842,615 number compare
  2. 25 Malaysia 811,299 number compare
  3. 26 Cambodia 787,884 number compare
  4. 28 Burundi 696,760 number compare
  5. 29 Morocco 666,429 number compare
  6. 30 Zimbabwe 586,035 number compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More reference data data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Ghana?
Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Ghana was 724,820 number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both recorded in Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 1.67 million number in 2003.
What is the lowest out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 724,820 number in 2019.
How does Ghana rank for out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both?
Ghana ranks 27th out of 142 countries with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is down 37.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ghana data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Ghana. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-adolescents-and-youth-of-secondary-school-age-both-sexes-number/ghana/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
187 places, 4,335 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of adolescents and youth of secondary school age who are not enrolled or attending school during in a given academic year. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/