Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana

Ghana: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 8.6% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
8.6%
Change on year
down 31.9%
World rank
57th
of 137 countries
All-time high
48.6%
in 1999
All-time low
8.6%
in 2019
Years of data
13
1999–2019

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana, 1999–2019

10203040501999200920191999: 48.6 %2000: 43.9 %2001: 46.6 %2002: 43.4 %2003: 44.4 %2005: 38.5 %2006: 33.2 %2007: 28.1 %2008: 24.7 %2009: 24.9 %2017: 12.4 %2018: 12.6 %2019: 8.6 %

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 Ghana is 8.6%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.

That represents a change of down 31.9% on the previous year and down 65.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana peaked at 48.6% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 8.6%, in 2019.

That places Ghana 57th out of 137 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana, 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 Ghana, 1999 to 2019.
Year % Change
1999 48.6%
2000 43.9% -9.8%
2001 46.6% +6.3%
2002 43.4% -6.9%
2003 44.4% +2.1%
2005 38.5% -13.1%
2006 33.2% -13.7%
2007 28.1% -15.6%
2008 24.7% -11.8%
2009 24.9% +0.5%
2017 12.4% -50.3%
2018 12.6% +1.8%
2019 8.6% -31.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 48.6% 48.6% 48.6% 1
2000s 36.4% 24.7% 46.6% 9
2010s 11.2% 8.6% 12.6% 3

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 54 Bhutan 9.3% compare
  2. 55 Timor-Leste 9.1% compare
  3. 56 Botswana 9.0% compare
  4. 58 Dominican Republic 8.5% compare
  5. 59 Iran, Islamic Republic of 8.2% compare
  6. 60 Liechtenstein 8.1% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana?
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana was 8.6% 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 Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 48.6% in 1999.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 8.6% in 2019.
How does Ghana rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
Ghana ranks 57th out of 137 countries with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is down 65.5%. 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 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 Ghana. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and-2/ghana/

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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/