Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)

Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries): Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 1.61 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
1.61 million number
Change on year
up 2.0%
Rank
36th
of 45 groups
All-time high
4.99 million number
in 1997
All-time low
1.57 million number
in 2018
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), 1970–2019

2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 1.61 million number for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 29.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 4.99 million number in 1997 and was at its lowest, 1.57 million number, in 2018.

Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 36th of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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 Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (number) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), 1970 to 2019.
Year number Change
1970 4.35 million number
1971 4.36 million number +0.3%
1972 4.60 million number +5.6%
1973 4.74 million number +3.1%
1974 4.89 million number +3.0%
1975 4.80 million number -1.8%
1976 4.67 million number -2.7%
1977 4.58 million number -1.9%
1978 4.56 million number -0.5%
1979 4.48 million number -1.7%
1980 4.55 million number +1.7%
1981 4.81 million number +5.5%
1982 4.76 million number -0.9%
1983 4.79 million number +0.6%
1984 4.46 million number -6.9%
1985 4.43 million number -0.7%
1986 4.48 million number +1.1%
1987 4.40 million number -1.8%
1988 4.21 million number -4.4%
1989 4.42 million number +5.1%
1990 4.45 million number +0.8%
1991 4.22 million number -5.3%
1992 4.25 million number +0.7%
1993 4.42 million number +4.0%
1994 4.61 million number +4.3%
1995 4.92 million number +6.9%
1996 4.97 million number +0.9%
1997 4.99 million number +0.5%
1998 4.50 million number -9.8%
1999 4.12 million number -8.4%
2000 3.96 million number -4.0%
2001 3.20 million number -19.2%
2002 2.60 million number -18.8%
2003 1.87 million number -28.2%
2004 1.99 million number +6.7%
2005 2.60 million number +30.6%
2006 2.62 million number +0.9%
2007 2.52 million number -4.0%
2008 2.22 million number -11.7%
2009 2.26 million number +1.8%
2010 2.07 million number -8.5%
2011 2.04 million number -1.5%
2012 1.91 million number -6.2%
2013 1.82 million number -4.8%
2014 1.86 million number +2.0%
2015 1.81 million number -2.5%
2016 1.86 million number +2.6%
2017 1.71 million number -8.0%
2018 1.57 million number -8.0%
2019 1.61 million number +2.0%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2005 +30.6% 1.99 million number 2.60 million number

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4.60 million number 4.35 million number 4.89 million number 10
1980s 4.53 million number 4.21 million number 4.81 million number 10
1990s 4.54 million number 4.12 million number 4.99 million number 10
2000s 2.58 million number 1.87 million number 3.96 million number 10
2010s 1.83 million number 1.57 million number 2.07 million number 10

Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)

  1. 33 Germany 234,615 number compare
  2. 34 Lao People's Democratic Republic 227,366 number compare
  3. 35 Egypt 218,514 number compare
  4. 36 Malaysia 216,258 number compare
  5. 37 Romania 209,323 number compare
  6. 38 Ukraine 207,725 number compare
  7. 39 Cambodia 202,107 number compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)

All data for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) was 1.61 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 Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The highest recorded value was 4.99 million number in 1997.
What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The lowest recorded value was 1.57 million number in 2018.
How does Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 36th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 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 Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-both/europe-and-central-asia-ida-and-ibrd-countries/

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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/