Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia

Europe & Central Asia: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 4.1% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
4.1%
Change on year
down 1.0%
Rank
38th
of 43 groups
All-time high
13.7%
in 1973
All-time low
4.1%
in 2019
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia, 1970–2019

468101214197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia is 4.1%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.

The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 38.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 13.7% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 2019.

Europe & Central Asia ranks 38th of 43 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, female (%) in Europe & Central Asia, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 13.1%
1971 13.4% +1.8%
1972 13.5% +1.1%
1973 13.7% +1.3%
1974 13.4% -2.5%
1975 13.3% -0.7%
1976 13.2% -0.8%
1977 12.9% -1.5%
1978 12.8% -1.1%
1979 12.7% -0.6%
1980 12.7% -0.1%
1981 13.1% +2.7%
1982 12.9% -1.0%
1983 12.9% -0.4%
1984 12.5% -3.1%
1985 12.3% -1.0%
1986 12.1% -2.3%
1987 11.7% -3.0%
1988 11.3% -3.2%
1989 11.4% +0.9%
1990 11.4% -0.6%
1991 11.1% -2.6%
1992 11.0% -0.7%
1993 10.5% -4.1%
1994 10.2% -2.8%
1995 10.2% -0.4%
1996 10.1% -1.3%
1997 10.1% +0.5%
1998 9.5% -5.7%
1999 9.0% -5.9%
2000 8.8% -2.1%
2001 7.8% -10.7%
2002 7.3% -7.1%
2003 6.7% -8.6%
2004 6.8% +2.0%
2005 6.9% +2.1%
2006 6.9% -0.3%
2007 6.9% +0.1%
2008 6.5% -6.3%
2009 6.7% +2.8%
2010 6.1% -8.1%
2011 5.9% -3.4%
2012 5.9% +0.2%
2013 5.1% -13.8%
2014 4.9% -4.0%
2015 4.5% -7.5%
2016 4.5% -1.1%
2017 4.2% -5.9%
2018 4.1% -2.6%
2019 4.1% -1.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 13.2% 12.7% 13.7% 10
1980s 12.3% 11.3% 13.1% 10
1990s 10.3% 9.0% 11.4% 10
2000s 7.1% 6.5% 8.8% 10
2010s 4.9% 4.1% 6.1% 10

Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia

  1. 35 Zimbabwe 15.0% compare
  2. 36 Vanuatu 14.2% compare
  3. 37 Tajikistan 14.0% compare
  4. 38 Bulgaria 13.6% compare
  5. 39 Eswatini 13.4% compare
  6. 40 Indonesia 12.9% compare
  7. 41 South Africa 12.8% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Europe & Central Asia

All data for Europe & Central Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia?
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia was 4.1% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
The highest recorded value was 13.7% in 1973.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 4.1% in 2019.
How does Europe & Central Asia rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
Europe & Central Asia ranks 38th out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 38.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Europe & Central Asia data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and-2/europe-and-central-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
180 places, 4,050 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Proportion of children, adolescents, and youth in the official age range for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education who are not enrolled in primary, lower secondary, or upper secondary education. To calculate the indicator, the number of students of the official age for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education enrolled in primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education is subtracted from the total population of primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education. The result is expressed as a percentage of the population of the official age for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/