Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Least developed countries

Least developed countries: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 31.3% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
31.3%
Change on year
down 0.6%
Rank
8th
of 43 groups
All-time high
70.1%
in 1971
All-time low
31.3%
in 2019
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Least developed countries, 1970–2019

020406080197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Least developed countries recorded 31.3% for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 15.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Least developed countries peaked at 70.1% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 31.3%, in 2019.

Least developed countries ranks 8th of 43 groups on this measure, in the top 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 Least developed countries, 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 Least developed countries, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 69.0%
1971 70.1% +1.7%
1972 68.4% -2.4%
1973 66.2% -3.2%
1974 66.1% -0.2%
1975 64.2% -2.9%
1976 62.9% -2.0%
1977 62.4% -0.9%
1978 61.4% -1.5%
1979 60.5% -1.5%
1980 59.5% -1.8%
1981 58.6% -1.4%
1982 58.8% +0.3%
1983 59.0% +0.3%
1984 58.7% -0.5%
1985 59.1% +0.8%
1986 59.1% -0.1%
1987 59.2% +0.2%
1988 57.5% -2.8%
1989 57.7% +0.3%
1990 58.1% +0.7%
1991 57.1% -1.6%
1992 57.4% +0.5%
1993 57.2% -0.4%
1994 57.0% -0.4%
1995 56.2% -1.4%
1996 56.0% -0.4%
1997 54.7% -2.3%
1998 55.8% +2.1%
1999 55.2% -1.0%
2000 53.6% -3.0%
2001 52.1% -2.9%
2002 49.2% -5.4%
2003 46.9% -4.8%
2004 45.2% -3.5%
2005 43.9% -3.0%
2006 41.7% -5.0%
2007 40.0% -3.9%
2008 38.0% -4.9%
2009 36.8% -3.2%
2010 36.0% -2.2%
2011 35.1% -2.6%
2012 34.0% -3.2%
2013 33.4% -1.7%
2014 32.9% -1.4%
2015 33.0% +0.3%
2016 32.4% -1.8%
2017 31.8% -2.0%
2018 31.4% -1.1%
2019 31.3% -0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 65.1% 60.5% 70.1% 10
1980s 58.7% 57.5% 59.5% 10
1990s 56.5% 54.7% 58.1% 10
2000s 44.7% 36.8% 53.6% 10
2010s 33.1% 31.3% 36.0% 10

Countries ranked near Least developed countries

  1. 5 Djibouti 48.2% compare
  2. 6 Guinea 46.1% compare
  3. 7 Syrian Arab Republic 41.8% compare
  4. 8 Burkina Faso 37.1% compare
  5. 9 Ethiopia 36.4% compare
  6. 10 Yemen 35.0% compare
  7. 11 Côte d'Ivoire 31.9% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Least developed countries

All data for Least developed countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Least developed countries?
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Least developed countries was 31.3% 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 Least developed countries?
The highest recorded value was 70.1% in 1971.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Least developed countries?
The lowest recorded value was 31.3% in 2019.
How does Least developed countries rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
Least developed countries ranks 8th out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Least developed countries?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Least developed countries 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 Least developed countries. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and-2/least-developed-countries-un-classification/

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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/