Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Least developed countries

Least developed countries: Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and was 86.78 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
86.78 million number
Change on year
up 1.0%
Rank
16th
of 45 groups
All-time high
96.83 million number
in 1999
All-time low
58.66 million number
in 1970
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Least developed countries, 1970–2019

020.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M100.0M197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Least developed countries stood at 86.78 million number.

The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Least developed countries peaked at 96.83 million number in 1999 and was at its lowest, 58.66 million number, in 1970.

That places Least developed countries 16th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.

Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Least developed countries, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, both sexes (number) in Least developed countries, 1970 to 2019.
Year number Change
1970 58.66 million number
1971 60.35 million number +2.9%
1972 60.18 million number -0.3%
1973 59.85 million number -0.5%
1974 61.39 million number +2.6%
1975 61.27 million number -0.2%
1976 61.67 million number +0.7%
1977 62.18 million number +0.8%
1978 62.76 million number +0.9%
1979 63.45 million number +1.1%
1980 63.94 million number +0.8%
1981 64.83 million number +1.4%
1982 65.73 million number +1.4%
1983 67.28 million number +2.4%
1984 69.45 million number +3.2%
1985 71.73 million number +3.3%
1986 73.50 million number +2.5%
1987 75.69 million number +3.0%
1988 75.96 million number +0.4%
1989 78.43 million number +3.2%
1990 81.28 million number +3.6%
1991 82.25 million number +1.2%
1992 84.79 million number +3.1%
1993 86.75 million number +2.3%
1994 88.58 million number +2.1%
1995 88.87 million number +0.3%
1996 90.59 million number +1.9%
1997 90.47 million number -0.1%
1998 95.35 million number +5.4%
1999 96.83 million number +1.6%
2000 96.17 million number -0.7%
2001 95.24 million number -1.0%
2002 92.18 million number -3.2%
2003 89.89 million number -2.5%
2004 88.81 million number -1.2%
2005 87.64 million number -1.3%
2006 85.22 million number -2.8%
2007 83.94 million number -1.5%
2008 81.55 million number -2.9%
2009 81.08 million number -0.6%
2010 81.76 million number +0.8%
2011 81.98 million number +0.3%
2012 81.64 million number -0.4%
2013 82.10 million number +0.6%
2014 83.17 million number +1.3%
2015 85.23 million number +2.5%
2016 85.00 million number -0.3%
2017 85.18 million number +0.2%
2018 85.95 million number +0.9%
2019 86.78 million number +1.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 61.18 million number 58.66 million number 63.45 million number 10
1980s 70.65 million number 63.94 million number 78.43 million number 10
1990s 88.58 million number 81.28 million number 96.83 million number 10
2000s 88.17 million number 81.08 million number 96.17 million number 10
2010s 83.88 million number 81.64 million number 86.78 million number 10

Countries ranked near Least developed countries

  1. 13 Myanmar 1.82 million number compare
  2. 14 Iraq 1.77 million number compare
  3. 15 South Africa 1.72 million number compare
  4. 16 Cameroon 1.70 million number compare
  5. 17 Türkiye 1.52 million number compare
  6. 18 Guinea 1.43 million number compare
  7. 19 Egypt 1.43 million number compare

See the full ranking of 184 places →

More reference data data for Least developed countries

All data for Least developed countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Least developed countries?
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Least developed countries was 86.78 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in Least developed countries?
The highest recorded value was 96.83 million number in 1999.
What is the lowest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in Least developed countries?
The lowest recorded value was 58.66 million number in 1970.
How does Least developed countries rank for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and?
Least developed countries ranks 16th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and rising or falling in Least developed countries?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Least developed countries data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Least developed countries. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-and-secondary-school-age-both/least-developed-countries-un-classification/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
184 places, 4,255 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of children, adolescents, and youth of primary, lower secondary, and upper 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/