Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in European Union

European Union: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 4.4% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
4.4%
Change on year
down 0.6%
Rank
41st
of 43 groups
All-time high
19.7%
in 1971
All-time low
4.4%
in 2017
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in European Union, 1970–2019

5101520197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

European Union recorded 4.4% for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in 2019.

That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 19.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in European Union peaked at 19.7% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 2017.

That places European Union 41st out of 43 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 rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in European Union, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%) in European Union, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 19.0%
1971 19.7% +3.3%
1972 19.5% -0.8%
1973 19.3% -1.3%
1974 17.9% -7.2%
1975 17.6% -1.5%
1976 17.6% -0.1%
1977 16.7% -5.3%
1978 16.2% -3.0%
1979 16.1% -0.6%
1980 15.9% -1.2%
1981 16.1% +1.2%
1982 15.8% -1.7%
1983 15.5% -1.6%
1984 15.4% -0.7%
1985 15.2% -1.7%
1986 14.7% -2.8%
1987 14.2% -3.7%
1988 13.8% -2.9%
1989 13.7% -0.6%
1990 13.5% -1.5%
1991 13.2% -2.4%
1992 12.7% -3.8%
1993 10.8% -14.8%
1994 9.3% -13.7%
1995 9.2% -1.8%
1996 8.9% -3.0%
1997 8.9% -0.0%
1998 9.2% +3.4%
1999 8.4% -8.6%
2000 7.9% -5.3%
2001 7.4% -7.2%
2002 6.6% -10.1%
2003 6.7% +0.4%
2004 6.5% -1.7%
2005 5.4% -16.7%
2006 5.5% +1.7%
2007 5.9% +6.7%
2008 5.5% -7.8%
2009 5.5% +0.1%
2010 5.3% -2.7%
2011 6.0% +12.7%
2012 6.3% +5.3%
2013 5.4% -14.0%
2014 5.1% -6.6%
2015 4.6% -8.8%
2016 4.6% -0.5%
2017 4.4% -4.8%
2018 4.4% +1.3%
2019 4.4% -0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 17.9% 16.1% 19.7% 10
1980s 15.0% 13.7% 16.1% 10
1990s 10.4% 8.4% 13.5% 10
2000s 6.3% 5.4% 7.9% 10
2010s 5.0% 4.4% 6.3% 10

Countries ranked near European Union

  1. 38 Paraguay 20.5% compare
  2. 39 Thailand 20.4% compare
  3. 40 Jamaica 20.2% compare
  4. 41 Cape Verde 20.0% compare
  5. 42 Vanuatu 19.8% compare
  6. 43 Indonesia 19.4% compare
  7. 44 Ghana 19.0% compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More reference data data for European Union

All data for European Union →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in European Union?
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in European Union was 4.4% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in European Union?
The highest recorded value was 19.7% in 1971.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in European Union?
The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 2017.
How does European Union rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
European Union ranks 41st out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper rising or falling in European Union?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this European Union data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in European Union. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-adolescents-and-youth-of-lower-and-upper-secondary-school-age-both/european-union/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
185 places, 4,210 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of adolescents and youth of 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/