Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in East Asia & Pacific

East Asia & Pacific: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 14.96 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
14.96 million number
Change on year
up 2.4%
Rank
21st
of 45 groups
All-time high
60.02 million number
in 1978
All-time low
14.30 million number
in 2015
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in East Asia & Pacific, 1970–2019

10.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M50.0M60.0M197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in East Asia & Pacific is 14.96 million number, measured in 2019.

That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 60.02 million number in 1978 and was at its lowest, 14.30 million number, in 2015.

East Asia & Pacific ranks 21st of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in East Asia & Pacific, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (number) in East Asia & Pacific, 1970 to 2019.
Year number Change
1970 48.05 million number
1971 51.08 million number +6.3%
1972 52.63 million number +3.0%
1973 47.42 million number -9.9%
1974 48.35 million number +2.0%
1975 45.09 million number -6.7%
1976 45.44 million number +0.8%
1977 55.42 million number +22.0%
1978 60.02 million number +8.3%
1979 59.11 million number -1.5%
1980 58.12 million number -1.7%
1981 56.28 million number -3.2%
1982 54.95 million number -2.4%
1983 54.54 million number -0.7%
1984 53.52 million number -1.9%
1985 47.85 million number -10.6%
1986 43.05 million number -10.0%
1987 36.46 million number -15.3%
1988 34.47 million number -5.5%
1989 32.23 million number -6.5%
1990 31.64 million number -1.8%
1991 31.14 million number -1.6%
1992 31.35 million number +0.7%
1993 32.48 million number +3.6%
1994 34.65 million number +6.7%
1995 38.31 million number +10.6%
1996 40.06 million number +4.6%
1997 43.39 million number +8.3%
1998 40.72 million number -6.2%
1999 37.22 million number -8.6%
2000 36.58 million number -1.7%
2001 35.29 million number -3.5%
2002 32.52 million number -7.9%
2003 28.80 million number -11.4%
2004 26.01 million number -9.7%
2005 23.77 million number -8.6%
2006 24.09 million number +1.3%
2007 19.26 million number -20.1%
2008 18.97 million number -1.5%
2009 17.28 million number -8.9%
2010 16.59 million number -4.0%
2011 15.93 million number -4.0%
2012 15.52 million number -2.6%
2013 15.48 million number -0.2%
2014 14.75 million number -4.7%
2015 14.30 million number -3.0%
2016 14.64 million number +2.4%
2017 14.76 million number +0.8%
2018 14.62 million number -1.0%
2019 14.96 million number +2.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 51.26 million number 45.09 million number 60.02 million number 10
1980s 47.15 million number 32.23 million number 58.12 million number 10
1990s 36.10 million number 31.14 million number 43.39 million number 10
2000s 26.26 million number 17.28 million number 36.58 million number 10
2010s 15.16 million number 14.30 million number 16.59 million number 10

Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific

  1. 18 Guatemala 632,232 number compare
  2. 19 Mexico 620,544 number compare
  3. 20 Türkiye 600,962 number compare
  4. 21 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 557,327 number compare
  5. 22 Jordan 518,520 number compare
  6. 23 Central African Republic 495,699 number compare
  7. 24 Malawi 400,638 number compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for East Asia & Pacific

All data for East Asia & Pacific →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in East Asia & Pacific?
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in East Asia & Pacific was 14.96 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
The highest recorded value was 60.02 million number in 1978.
What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
The lowest recorded value was 14.30 million number in 2015.
How does East Asia & Pacific rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
East Asia & Pacific ranks 21st out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this East Asia & Pacific data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in East Asia & Pacific. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-both/east-asia-and-pacific/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
194 places, 4,726 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of children and adolescents of primary and lower 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/