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

World: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 25.1% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
25.1%
Change on year
down 0.7%
Rank
16th
of 43 groups
All-time high
41.7%
in 1970
All-time low
25.1%
in 2019
Years of data
50
1970–2019

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

010203040197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in World stood at 25.1%. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.

The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in World peaked at 41.7% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 25.1%, in 2019.

World ranks 16th of 43 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 rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in World, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%) in World, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 41.7%
1971 41.4% -0.8%
1972 40.9% -1.1%
1973 40.0% -2.3%
1974 40.5% +1.3%
1975 39.9% -1.4%
1976 39.1% -2.2%
1977 38.2% -2.1%
1978 38.3% +0.1%
1979 38.5% +0.6%
1980 38.9% +1.0%
1981 39.4% +1.2%
1982 39.9% +1.3%
1983 40.2% +0.9%
1984 40.5% +0.5%
1985 40.2% -0.5%
1986 40.1% -0.4%
1987 39.7% -0.9%
1988 39.8% +0.1%
1989 40.1% +0.9%
1990 40.1% +0.1%
1991 39.8% -0.9%
1992 39.2% -1.4%
1993 38.5% -1.9%
1994 38.2% -0.9%
1995 37.8% -1.0%
1996 37.1% -1.9%
1997 36.9% -0.5%
1998 37.2% +1.0%
1999 37.2% -0.1%
2000 36.6% -1.6%
2001 36.1% -1.3%
2002 35.2% -2.6%
2003 33.8% -3.8%
2004 33.1% -2.2%
2005 32.6% -1.4%
2006 32.1% -1.7%
2007 31.1% -3.2%
2008 30.0% -3.3%
2009 29.4% -2.1%
2010 28.4% -3.5%
2011 27.7% -2.5%
2012 27.2% -1.6%
2013 26.8% -1.6%
2014 26.8% +0.1%
2015 26.2% -2.5%
2016 25.8% -1.3%
2017 25.4% -1.7%
2018 25.3% -0.5%
2019 25.1% -0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 39.9% 38.2% 41.7% 10
1980s 39.9% 38.9% 40.5% 10
1990s 38.2% 36.9% 40.1% 10
2000s 33.0% 29.4% 36.6% 10
2010s 26.5% 25.1% 28.4% 10

Countries ranked near World

  1. 13 Honduras 45.1% compare
  2. 14 Cameroon 42.9% compare
  3. 15 Eritrea 42.6% compare
  4. 16 Yemen 42.0% compare
  5. 17 Mauritania 41.6% compare
  6. 18 Iraq 38.3% compare
  7. 19 Cambodia 38.3% compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More reference data data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in World?
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in World was 25.1% 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 World?
The highest recorded value was 41.7% in 1970.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 25.1% in 2019.
How does World rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
World ranks 16th 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 World?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World 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 World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-adolescents-and-youth-of-lower-and-upper-secondary-school-age-both/world/

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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/