Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 7.9% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean stood at 7.9%. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 22.7% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 7.9%, in 2019.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 30th out of 43 groups with data for 2019, putting it 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, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 22.7% | — |
| 1971 | 22.5% | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 22.2% | -1.3% |
| 1973 | 21.2% | -4.2% |
| 1974 | 21.3% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 20.8% | -2.1% |
| 1976 | 19.7% | -5.5% |
| 1977 | 18.9% | -4.0% |
| 1978 | 18.5% | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 17.7% | -4.5% |
| 1980 | 17.4% | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 16.6% | -4.2% |
| 1982 | 16.4% | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 16.1% | -1.7% |
| 1984 | 16.0% | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 15.7% | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 15.4% | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 15.4% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 15.7% | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 16.2% | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 16.2% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 16.0% | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 15.6% | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 15.7% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 15.9% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 15.7% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 15.2% | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 15.2% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 13.7% | -10.1% |
| 1999 | 12.8% | -6.6% |
| 2000 | 12.1% | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 11.8% | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 11.5% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 11.2% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 10.7% | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 10.1% | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 9.6% | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 9.5% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 8.6% | -8.7% |
| 2009 | 8.7% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 8.7% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 8.9% | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 9.3% | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 8.3% | -11.0% |
| 2014 | 8.5% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 8.6% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 8.5% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 8.8% | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 8.2% | -7.0% |
| 2019 | 7.9% | -3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20.5% | 17.7% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.1% | 15.4% | 17.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.2% | 12.8% | 16.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.4% | 8.6% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.6% | 7.9% | 9.3% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 27 Republic of Moldova 17.7% compare
- 28 Kenya 17.4% compare
- 29 British Virgin Islands 17.0% compare
- 30 Paraguay 16.5% compare
- 31 Malawi 16.5% compare
- 32 Myanmar 16.5% compare
- 33 Cayman Islands 16.1% compare
More reference data data for Latin America & Caribbean
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 10.44 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 6.16 years (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 5.33 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 5.11 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, male 6.21 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, female 6.12 years (2019)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 87.4% (2019)
- School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes 2.09 years (2019)
- Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, adjusted gender parity 1.23 GPIA (2019)
- Teachers in primary education, male 685,896 number (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean was 7.9% 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?
- The highest recorded value was 22.7% in 1970.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.9% in 2019.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 30th 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?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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/