Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in World

World: Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and was 257.04 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
257.04 million number
Change on year
up 0.1%
Rank
1st
of 45 groups
All-time high
381.68 million number
in 1998
All-time low
255.65 million number
in 2017
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in World, 1970–2019

0100.0M200.0M300.0M400.0M197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

World recorded 257.04 million number for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 10.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in World peaked at 381.68 million number in 1998 and was at its lowest, 255.65 million number, in 2017.

That places World 1st out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in World, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, both sexes (number) in World, 1970 to 2019.
Year number Change
1970 318.28 million number
1971 322.77 million number +1.4%
1972 322.42 million number -0.1%
1973 313.87 million number -2.7%
1974 319.72 million number +1.9%
1975 318.13 million number -0.5%
1976 317.64 million number -0.2%
1977 326.58 million number +2.8%
1978 346.13 million number +6.0%
1979 352.56 million number +1.9%
1980 354.82 million number +0.6%
1981 358.98 million number +1.2%
1982 364.76 million number +1.6%
1983 370.45 million number +1.6%
1984 374.77 million number +1.2%
1985 373.43 million number -0.4%
1986 370.44 million number -0.8%
1987 368.64 million number -0.5%
1988 367.26 million number -0.4%
1989 367.51 million number +0.1%
1990 370.26 million number +0.8%
1991 368.65 million number -0.4%
1992 368.73 million number +0.0%
1993 366.18 million number -0.7%
1994 368.03 million number +0.5%
1995 372.32 million number +1.2%
1996 374.27 million number +0.5%
1997 377.80 million number +0.9%
1998 381.68 million number +1.0%
1999 379.58 million number -0.5%
2000 375.36 million number -1.1%
2001 372.94 million number -0.6%
2002 366.51 million number -1.7%
2003 349.12 million number -4.7%
2004 339.22 million number -2.8%
2005 330.29 million number -2.6%
2006 322.77 million number -2.3%
2007 303.50 million number -6.0%
2008 292.46 million number -3.6%
2009 287.42 million number -1.7%
2010 278.47 million number -3.1%
2011 273.19 million number -1.9%
2012 268.21 million number -1.8%
2013 263.59 million number -1.7%
2014 263.92 million number +0.1%
2015 260.50 million number -1.3%
2016 257.59 million number -1.1%
2017 255.65 million number -0.8%
2018 256.72 million number +0.4%
2019 257.04 million number +0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 325.81 million number 313.87 million number 352.56 million number 10
1980s 367.10 million number 354.82 million number 374.77 million number 10
1990s 372.75 million number 366.18 million number 381.68 million number 10
2000s 333.96 million number 287.42 million number 375.36 million number 10
2010s 263.49 million number 255.65 million number 278.47 million number 10

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 Ethiopia 10.30 million number compare
  2. 2 Indonesia 6.99 million number compare
  3. 3 Niger 3.62 million number compare
  4. 4 Mali 2.95 million number compare

See the full ranking of 184 places →

More reference data data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in World?
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in World was 257.04 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 World?
The highest recorded value was 381.68 million number in 1998.
What is the lowest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 255.65 million number in 2017.
How does World rank for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and?
World ranks 1st out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World 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 World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-and-secondary-school-age-both/world/

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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/