Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 8.0% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), 1970–2019
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 Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) is 8.0%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.5% on the previous year and down 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) peaked at 23.1% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 8.0%, in 2019.
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 29th 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 23.1% | — |
| 1971 | 22.9% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 22.7% | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 21.7% | -4.2% |
| 1974 | 21.7% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 21.2% | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 20.0% | -5.7% |
| 1977 | 19.2% | -4.1% |
| 1978 | 18.8% | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 17.9% | -4.7% |
| 1980 | 17.6% | -2.1% |
| 1981 | 16.8% | -4.1% |
| 1982 | 16.5% | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 16.2% | -1.7% |
| 1984 | 16.1% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 15.8% | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 15.5% | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 15.5% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 15.8% | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 16.3% | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 16.3% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 16.2% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 15.8% | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 15.7% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 16.0% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 15.8% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 15.2% | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 14.9% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 13.8% | -7.8% |
| 1999 | 12.9% | -6.5% |
| 2000 | 12.2% | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 11.9% | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 11.6% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 11.3% | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 10.8% | -4.0% |
| 2005 | 10.2% | -5.7% |
| 2006 | 9.7% | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 9.6% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 8.7% | -9.1% |
| 2009 | 8.7% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 8.8% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 9.0% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 9.4% | +4.7% |
| 2013 | 8.4% | -11.1% |
| 2014 | 8.5% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 8.7% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 8.5% | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 8.9% | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 8.2% | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 8.0% | -3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20.9% | 17.9% | 23.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.2% | 15.5% | 17.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.3% | 12.9% | 16.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.4% | 8.7% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.6% | 8.0% | 9.4% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
More reference data data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 466.52 (2026)
- CPI Price, nominal 227.47 (2026)
- CPI Price, nominal, annual growth rate 2.35 % change on previous year (2026)
- CPI Price, nominal, seas. adj. 223.29 (2026)
- CPI Price, nominal, seas. adj., annual growth rate 2.17 % change on previous year (2026)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 4.89 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 6.17 years (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 9.99 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 5.10 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, male 6.21 years (2019)
All data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) was 8.0% 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 Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 23.1% in 1970.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 2019.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 29th out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 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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About this data
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/