Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and was 162,719 number in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
162,719 number
Change on year
up 23.9%
World rank
52nd
of 139 countries
All-time high
1.50 million number
in 1981
All-time low
60,261 number
in 2015
Years of data
30
1972–2018

Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1972–2018

0500.0k1.0M1.5M1972199520181972: 1.4M number1973: 1.5M number1974: 1.2M number1975: 1.3M number1976: 1.2M number1977: 1.3M number1978: 1.4M number1979: 1.4M number1981: 1.5M number1982: 1.5M number1998: 311.4k number1999: 255.5k number2000: 279.0k number2001: 270.8k number2002: 233.9k number2003: 251.2k number2004: 193.3k number2005: 177.8k number2006: 342.9k number2007: 495.5k number2008: 376.4k number2009: 340.8k number2010: 275.1k number2011: 378.8k number2012: 482.4k number2013: 263.5k number2014: 99.6k number2015: 60.3k number2017: 131.3k number2018: 162.7k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 162,719 number for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in 2018.

That represents a change of up 23.9% on the previous year and down 56.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 1.50 million number in 1981 and was at its lowest, 60,261 number, in 2015.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 52nd out of 139 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, both sexes (number) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1972 to 2018.
Year number Change
1972 1.44 million number
1973 1.50 million number +3.7%
1974 1.23 million number -17.9%
1975 1.27 million number +3.1%
1976 1.23 million number -3.0%
1977 1.28 million number +3.8%
1978 1.35 million number +6.1%
1979 1.41 million number +3.9%
1981 1.50 million number +6.9%
1982 1.47 million number -2.0%
1998 311,439 number -78.9%
1999 255,492 number -18.0%
2000 279,007 number +9.2%
2001 270,759 number -3.0%
2002 233,873 number -13.6%
2003 251,187 number +7.4%
2004 193,267 number -23.1%
2005 177,807 number -8.0%
2006 342,950 number +92.9%
2007 495,465 number +44.5%
2008 376,351 number -24.0%
2009 340,788 number -9.4%
2010 275,095 number -19.3%
2011 378,802 number +37.7%
2012 482,421 number +27.4%
2013 263,468 number -45.4%
2014 99,584 number -62.2%
2015 60,261 number -39.5%
2017 131,319 number +117.9%
2018 162,719 number +23.9%

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 162,719 number is above the median for high income countries, which is 13,833 number, 11.8× the median. (59 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 162,719 number is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 31,277 number, 5.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.34 million number 1.23 million number 1.50 million number 8
1980s 1.49 million number 1.47 million number 1.50 million number 2
1990s 283,466 number 255,492 number 311,439 number 2
2000s 296,145 number 177,807 number 495,465 number 10
2010s 231,709 number 60,261 number 482,421 number 8

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 49 Peru 183,770 number compare
  2. 50 Panama 176,478 number compare
  3. 51 Nicaragua 165,273 number compare
  4. 53 France 144,099 number compare
  5. 54 Korea 125,018 number compare
  6. 55 Spain 118,762 number compare

See the full ranking of 184 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 162,719 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 1.50 million number in 1981.
What is the lowest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 60,261 number in 2015.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 52nd out of 139 countries with data for 2018.
Is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 56.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-and-secondary-school-age-both/united-kingdom/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-and-secondary-school-age-both/united-kingdom/">Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland</a> — Statizoid

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/