Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 14.0% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
14.0%
Change on year
down 3.2%
Rank
22nd
of 43 groups
All-time high
56.0%
in 1971
All-time low
14.0%
in 2019
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1970–2019

102030405060197019942019

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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 14.0%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.

The figure is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 24.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 56.0% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 14.0%, in 2019.

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 22nd 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 55.0%
1971 56.0% +1.8%
1972 53.3% -4.9%
1973 52.1% -2.2%
1974 51.1% -2.0%
1975 48.7% -4.7%
1976 46.8% -3.9%
1977 45.2% -3.4%
1978 44.7% -1.2%
1979 45.5% +1.9%
1980 43.1% -5.4%
1981 42.9% -0.4%
1982 42.2% -1.6%
1983 41.6% -1.5%
1984 41.0% -1.4%
1985 39.0% -4.8%
1986 38.1% -2.4%
1987 36.5% -4.2%
1988 35.4% -2.8%
1989 35.0% -1.4%
1990 33.6% -4.0%
1991 32.5% -3.0%
1992 34.2% +5.0%
1993 33.2% -2.9%
1994 31.7% -4.5%
1995 32.2% +1.6%
1996 30.3% -5.7%
1997 29.8% -1.8%
1998 29.3% -1.9%
1999 28.2% -3.6%
2000 27.1% -3.7%
2001 25.6% -5.6%
2002 24.0% -6.1%
2003 23.3% -3.2%
2004 22.3% -4.0%
2005 21.7% -2.8%
2006 21.5% -1.2%
2007 20.8% -3.3%
2008 19.8% -4.7%
2009 18.6% -6.0%
2010 17.7% -4.6%
2011 16.6% -6.5%
2012 15.4% -7.0%
2013 16.8% +8.8%
2014 16.5% -1.5%
2015 15.9% -3.6%
2016 15.4% -3.6%
2017 15.0% -2.5%
2018 14.5% -3.5%
2019 14.0% -3.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 49.8% 44.7% 56.0% 10
1980s 39.5% 35.0% 43.1% 10
1990s 31.5% 28.2% 34.2% 10
2000s 22.5% 18.6% 27.1% 10
2010s 15.8% 14.0% 17.7% 10

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

  1. 19 Honduras 26.1% compare
  2. 20 Cambodia 24.9% compare
  3. 21 Laos 24.2% compare
  4. 22 Burundi 23.4% compare
  5. 23 El Salvador 20.0% compare
  6. 24 Panama 19.8% compare
  7. 25 Jamaica 18.0% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 14.0% 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 56.0% in 1971.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 14.0% in 2019.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 22nd out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and-2/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan/

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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/