Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in OECD members

OECD members: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 7.0% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
7.0%
Change on year
up 0.8%
Rank
34th
of 43 groups
All-time high
25.9%
in 1971
All-time low
7.0%
in 2018
Years of data
50
1970–2019

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

510152025197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in OECD members is 7.0%, measured in 2019.

The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 29.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in OECD members peaked at 25.9% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 2018.

That places OECD members 34th 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 OECD members, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%) in OECD members, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 24.6%
1971 25.9% +5.4%
1972 25.4% -2.0%
1973 24.9% -2.0%
1974 24.1% -3.5%
1975 23.5% -2.2%
1976 23.2% -1.5%
1977 22.7% -2.2%
1978 22.4% -1.2%
1979 22.7% +1.3%
1980 21.2% -6.6%
1981 21.3% +0.2%
1982 20.4% -4.0%
1983 20.2% -0.8%
1984 20.2% -0.2%
1985 20.1% -0.4%
1986 19.7% -2.3%
1987 19.9% +1.0%
1988 19.6% -1.4%
1989 20.1% +2.9%
1990 20.4% +1.3%
1991 20.1% -1.4%
1992 19.4% -3.7%
1993 17.9% -7.7%
1994 16.8% -6.0%
1995 16.5% -1.6%
1996 16.1% -2.6%
1997 16.2% +0.4%
1998 16.0% -1.3%
1999 15.7% -1.9%
2000 15.0% -4.2%
2001 14.0% -6.5%
2002 13.6% -3.3%
2003 12.1% -10.6%
2004 11.5% -4.8%
2005 10.6% -8.6%
2006 10.3% -2.5%
2007 10.1% -1.4%
2008 10.1% -0.2%
2009 9.9% -1.8%
2010 9.7% -2.2%
2011 9.3% -4.4%
2012 9.5% +2.3%
2013 8.3% -12.6%
2014 8.0% -4.1%
2015 7.4% -6.6%
2016 7.1% -4.0%
2017 7.0% -1.8%
2018 7.0% -0.3%
2019 7.0% +0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 23.9% 22.4% 25.9% 10
1980s 20.3% 19.6% 21.3% 10
1990s 17.5% 15.7% 20.4% 10
2000s 11.7% 9.9% 15.0% 10
2010s 8.0% 7.0% 9.7% 10

Countries ranked near OECD members

  1. 31 Suriname 24.7% compare
  2. 32 Turks and Caicos Islands 24.5% compare
  3. 33 Lesotho 23.9% compare
  4. 34 Cayman Islands 22.1% compare
  5. 35 Nicaragua 21.6% compare
  6. 36 Republic of Moldova 21.1% compare
  7. 37 Kenya 20.6% compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More reference data data for OECD members

All data for OECD members →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in OECD members?
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in OECD members was 7.0% 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 OECD members?
The highest recorded value was 25.9% in 1971.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in OECD members?
The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 2018.
How does OECD members rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
OECD members ranks 34th 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 OECD members?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this OECD members 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 OECD members. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-adolescents-and-youth-of-lower-and-upper-secondary-school-age-both/oecd-members/

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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/