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

Ghana: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 20.1% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
20.1%
Change on year
down 17.0%
World rank
42nd
of 138 countries
All-time high
48.3%
in 2003
All-time low
20.1%
in 2019
Years of data
17
1999–2019

Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Ghana, 1999–2019

010203040501999200920191999: 46 %2000: 44.8 %2001: 46.9 %2002: 44.2 %2003: 48.3 %2005: 38.9 %2006: 32.9 %2007: 27.9 %2008: 27 %2009: 28.5 %2013: 23.3 %2014: 28.4 %2015: 23.2 %2016: 24.7 %2017: 24.8 %2018: 24.2 %2019: 20.1 %

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 Ghana is 20.1%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.

That represents a change of down 17.0% on the previous year and down 29.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Ghana peaked at 48.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 20.1%, in 2019.

Ghana ranks 42nd of 138 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.

Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Ghana, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, male (%) in Ghana, 1999 to 2019.
Year % Change
1999 46.0%
2000 44.8% -2.5%
2001 46.9% +4.6%
2002 44.2% -5.6%
2003 48.3% +9.1%
2005 38.9% -19.4%
2006 32.9% -15.4%
2007 27.9% -15.4%
2008 27.0% -3.2%
2009 28.5% +5.7%
2013 23.3% -18.4%
2014 28.4% +22.1%
2015 23.2% -18.4%
2016 24.7% +6.8%
2017 24.8% +0.3%
2018 24.2% -2.5%
2019 20.1% -17.0%

Ghana compared with similar countries

  • Ghana's 20.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.0%, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
  • Ghana's 20.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 32.3%, 62% of the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 46.0% 46.0% 46.0% 1
2000s 37.7% 27.0% 48.3% 9
2010s 24.1% 20.1% 28.4% 7

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 39 Puerto Rico 21.3% compare
  2. 40 Indonesia 20.9% compare
  3. 41 Republic of Moldova 20.6% compare
  4. 43 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 19.9% compare
  5. 44 Timor-Leste 19.3% compare
  6. 45 Namibia 19.2% compare

See the full ranking of 181 places →

More reference data data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Ghana?
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Ghana was 20.1% 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 Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 48.3% in 2003.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 20.1% in 2019.
How does Ghana rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
Ghana ranks 42nd out of 138 countries with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ghana 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, male (%). 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 Ghana. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-adolescents-and-youth-of-lower-and-upper-secondary-school-age-male/ghana/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
181 places, 4,095 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/