Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Europe & Central Asia

Europe & Central Asia: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 2.26 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
2.26 million number
Change on year
up 1.4%
Rank
34th
of 45 groups
All-time high
7.32 million number
in 1973
All-time low
2.23 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, 1970–2019

2.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M197019942019

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 Europe & Central Asia is 2.26 million number, measured in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 22.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 7.32 million number in 1973 and was at its lowest, 2.23 million number, in 2018.

That places Europe & Central Asia 34th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it 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, 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, 1970 to 2019.
Year number Change
1970 6.32 million number
1971 6.45 million number +2.1%
1972 6.83 million number +5.8%
1973 7.32 million number +7.2%
1974 7.20 million number -1.7%
1975 7.09 million number -1.5%
1976 7.04 million number -0.7%
1977 6.71 million number -4.7%
1978 6.60 million number -1.7%
1979 6.39 million number -3.1%
1980 6.26 million number -1.9%
1981 6.61 million number +5.5%
1982 6.55 million number -0.9%
1983 6.68 million number +2.0%
1984 6.36 million number -4.7%
1985 6.38 million number +0.2%
1986 6.35 million number -0.5%
1987 6.01 million number -5.3%
1988 5.76 million number -4.2%
1989 5.91 million number +2.7%
1990 5.93 million number +0.2%
1991 5.69 million number -4.0%
1992 5.82 million number +2.4%
1993 5.90 million number +1.2%
1994 5.92 million number +0.3%
1995 6.08 million number +2.8%
1996 6.03 million number -0.9%
1997 6.04 million number +0.3%
1998 5.05 million number -16.4%
1999 4.81 million number -4.7%
2000 4.60 million number -4.4%
2001 3.81 million number -17.2%
2002 3.32 million number -12.9%
2003 2.57 million number -22.6%
2004 2.73 million number +6.2%
2005 3.04 million number +11.3%
2006 3.13 million number +3.2%
2007 3.24 million number +3.3%
2008 2.86 million number -11.6%
2009 2.91 million number +1.6%
2010 2.72 million number -6.6%
2011 2.78 million number +2.3%
2012 2.67 million number -3.8%
2013 2.46 million number -7.8%
2014 2.61 million number +5.9%
2015 2.45 million number -6.1%
2016 2.45 million number +0.1%
2017 2.32 million number -5.3%
2018 2.23 million number -4.0%
2019 2.26 million number +1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 6.79 million number 6.32 million number 7.32 million number 10
1980s 6.29 million number 5.76 million number 6.68 million number 10
1990s 5.73 million number 4.81 million number 6.08 million number 10
2000s 3.22 million number 2.57 million number 4.60 million number 10
2010s 2.50 million number 2.23 million number 2.78 million number 10

Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia

  1. 31 Togo 242,403 number compare
  2. 32 Tunisia 237,231 number compare
  3. 33 Germany 234,615 number compare
  4. 34 Lao People's Democratic Republic 227,366 number compare
  5. 35 Egypt 218,514 number compare
  6. 36 Malaysia 216,258 number compare
  7. 37 Romania 209,323 number compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Europe & Central Asia

All data for Europe & Central Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Europe & Central Asia?
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Europe & Central Asia was 2.26 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?
The highest recorded value was 7.32 million number in 1973.
What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 2.23 million number in 2018.
How does Europe & Central Asia rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
Europe & Central Asia ranks 34th 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?
Over the last ten years it is down 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 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/

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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/