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

Ghana: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 10.0% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
10.0%
Change on year
down 25.2%
World rank
56th
of 136 countries
All-time high
42.5%
in 1999
All-time low
10.0%
in 2019
Years of data
13
1999–2019

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana, 1999–2019

102030401999200920191999: 42.5 %2000: 37.8 %2001: 41.9 %2002: 38.6 %2003: 41.2 %2005: 33.9 %2006: 30.3 %2007: 25 %2008: 21.8 %2009: 22.4 %2017: 13.1 %2018: 13.4 %2019: 10 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Ghana recorded 10.0% for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.

The figure is down 25.2% on the previous year and down 55.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana peaked at 42.5% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 10.0%, in 2019.

Ghana ranks 56th of 136 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, male (%) in Ghana, 1999 to 2019.
Year % Change
1999 42.5%
2000 37.8% -10.9%
2001 41.9% +10.7%
2002 38.6% -7.8%
2003 41.2% +6.6%
2005 33.9% -17.5%
2006 30.3% -10.6%
2007 25.0% -17.4%
2008 21.8% -12.8%
2009 22.4% +2.4%
2017 13.1% -41.5%
2018 13.4% +2.6%
2019 10.0% -25.2%

Ghana compared with similar countries

  • Ghana's 10.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 13.3%, 75% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
  • Ghana's 10.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.7%, 60% of the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 42.5% 42.5% 42.5% 1
2000s 32.6% 21.8% 41.9% 9
2010s 12.2% 10.0% 13.4% 3

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 53 Mongolia 11.5% compare
  2. 54 Mauritius 11.3% compare
  3. 55 Palestine, State of 10.3% compare
  4. 57 Belize 10.0% compare
  5. 58 Mexico 9.8% compare
  6. 59 Fiji 9.7% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More reference data data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana?
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana was 10.0% 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 Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 42.5% in 1999.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 10.0% in 2019.
How does Ghana rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
Ghana ranks 56th out of 136 countries with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is down 55.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ghana 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and-4/ghana/

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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, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
179 places, 4,045 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/