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

World: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 17.4% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
17.4%
Change on year
down 0.7%
Rank
16th
of 43 groups
All-time high
40.4%
in 1970
All-time low
17.4%
in 2019
Years of data
50
1970–2019

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

010203040197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

World recorded 17.4% 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.

The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 16.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in World peaked at 40.4% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 17.4%, in 2019.

World ranks 16th 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 World, 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 World, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 40.4%
1971 40.3% -0.2%
1972 39.5% -2.0%
1973 37.5% -5.2%
1974 37.3% -0.5%
1975 36.2% -2.9%
1976 35.4% -2.3%
1977 35.2% -0.4%
1978 36.3% +3.2%
1979 36.4% +0.2%
1980 36.1% -0.9%
1981 35.9% -0.5%
1982 36.1% +0.3%
1983 36.2% +0.4%
1984 36.1% -0.1%
1985 35.6% -1.6%
1986 34.9% -1.8%
1987 34.5% -1.4%
1988 34.1% -1.1%
1989 33.8% -0.8%
1990 33.8% -0.1%
1991 33.3% -1.4%
1992 33.0% -1.0%
1993 32.3% -2.1%
1994 31.9% -1.2%
1995 31.7% -0.5%
1996 31.2% -1.5%
1997 30.9% -1.1%
1998 30.7% -0.7%
1999 30.1% -1.8%
2000 29.4% -2.4%
2001 28.9% -1.7%
2002 28.2% -2.6%
2003 26.2% -6.9%
2004 25.0% -4.8%
2005 24.2% -3.1%
2006 23.5% -2.6%
2007 22.3% -5.1%
2008 21.4% -4.3%
2009 20.8% -2.6%
2010 20.1% -3.5%
2011 19.5% -3.0%
2012 19.0% -2.3%
2013 18.5% -2.7%
2014 18.4% -0.8%
2015 18.1% -1.3%
2016 17.9% -1.5%
2017 17.6% -1.6%
2018 17.5% -0.3%
2019 17.4% -0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 37.5% 35.2% 40.4% 10
1980s 35.3% 33.8% 36.2% 10
1990s 31.9% 30.1% 33.8% 10
2000s 25.0% 20.8% 29.4% 10
2010s 18.4% 17.4% 20.1% 10

Countries ranked near World

  1. 13 Guatemala 29.3% compare
  2. 14 Iraq 28.8% compare
  3. 15 Mozambique 28.2% compare
  4. 16 Cameroon 27.5% compare
  5. 17 Jordan 26.4% compare
  6. 18 Bahamas 26.2% compare
  7. 19 Honduras 26.1% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in World?
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in World was 17.4% 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 World?
The highest recorded value was 40.4% in 1970.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 17.4% in 2019.
How does World rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
World ranks 16th out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World 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 World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and-2/world/

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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/