Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)

Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 3.87 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
3.87 million number
Change on year
down 2.5%
Rank
30th
of 45 groups
All-time high
9.50 million number
in 1975
All-time low
3.29 million number
in 2009
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1970–2019

4.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M197019942019

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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) is 3.87 million number, measured in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and up 17.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 9.50 million number in 1975 and was at its lowest, 3.29 million number, in 2009.

Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 30th 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 Latin America & the Caribbean (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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1970 to 2019.
Year number Change
1970 9.11 million number
1971 9.31 million number +2.2%
1972 9.33 million number +0.3%
1973 8.94 million number -4.2%
1974 9.38 million number +4.9%
1975 9.50 million number +1.3%
1976 8.90 million number -6.4%
1977 8.57 million number -3.7%
1978 8.44 million number -1.5%
1979 7.87 million number -6.8%
1980 7.80 million number -0.8%
1981 7.31 million number -6.3%
1982 7.34 million number +0.5%
1983 7.43 million number +1.1%
1984 7.63 million number +2.7%
1985 7.56 million number -0.8%
1986 7.51 million number -0.7%
1987 7.64 million number +1.6%
1988 8.01 million number +4.9%
1989 9.19 million number +14.8%
1990 8.72 million number -5.1%
1991 8.62 million number -1.1%
1992 8.23 million number -4.5%
1993 8.13 million number -1.3%
1994 8.54 million number +5.0%
1995 8.55 million number +0.2%
1996 8.26 million number -3.4%
1997 8.82 million number +6.9%
1998 6.94 million number -21.3%
1999 6.04 million number -13.1%
2000 5.68 million number -6.0%
2001 5.46 million number -3.8%
2002 5.14 million number -5.8%
2003 4.77 million number -7.3%
2004 5.01 million number +5.1%
2005 4.43 million number -11.6%
2006 4.45 million number +0.4%
2007 3.95 million number -11.1%
2008 3.32 million number -16.0%
2009 3.29 million number -1.0%
2010 3.59 million number +9.2%
2011 3.81 million number +6.0%
2012 4.27 million number +12.3%
2013 3.83 million number -10.3%
2014 4.15 million number +8.3%
2015 4.05 million number -2.5%
2016 3.97 million number -2.0%
2017 4.30 million number +8.3%
2018 3.97 million number -7.6%
2019 3.87 million number -2.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 8.93 million number 7.87 million number 9.50 million number 10
1980s 7.74 million number 7.31 million number 9.19 million number 10
1990s 8.09 million number 6.04 million number 8.82 million number 10
2000s 4.55 million number 3.29 million number 5.68 million number 10
2010s 3.98 million number 3.59 million number 4.30 million number 10

Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)

  1. 27 Eritrea 337,011 number compare
  2. 28 Colombia 276,937 number compare
  3. 29 Mauritania 266,322 number compare
  4. 30 Ghana 243,537 number compare
  5. 31 Togo 242,403 number compare
  6. 32 Tunisia 237,231 number compare
  7. 33 Germany 234,615 number compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)

All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 3.87 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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The highest recorded value was 9.50 million number in 1975.
What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The lowest recorded value was 3.29 million number in 2009.
How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 30th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Over the last ten years it is up 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-both/latin-america-and-the-caribbean-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/