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 8.8% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
8.8%
Change on year
down 3.1%
Rank
31st
of 43 groups
All-time high
22.1%
in 1970
All-time low
8.8%
in 2019
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean, 1970–2019

05101520197019942019

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 Latin America & Caribbean is 8.8%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 22.1% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 8.8%, in 2019.

Latin America & Caribbean ranks 31st 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 Latin America & Caribbean, 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 Latin America & Caribbean, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 22.1%
1971 21.9% -0.5%
1972 21.6% -1.5%
1973 20.6% -4.7%
1974 20.7% +0.3%
1975 20.3% -1.8%
1976 19.1% -5.6%
1977 18.4% -4.1%
1978 18.0% -1.9%
1979 17.2% -4.8%
1980 16.8% -2.0%
1981 16.2% -3.7%
1982 16.0% -1.3%
1983 15.8% -1.4%
1984 15.6% -0.8%
1985 15.4% -1.7%
1986 15.1% -1.6%
1987 15.2% +0.2%
1988 15.4% +1.8%
1989 15.9% +3.0%
1990 16.0% +0.5%
1991 15.8% -1.2%
1992 15.1% -4.2%
1993 14.9% -1.4%
1994 15.0% +0.6%
1995 14.7% -1.9%
1996 14.2% -3.4%
1997 14.5% +2.1%
1998 13.1% -9.5%
1999 12.4% -5.8%
2000 11.8% -4.8%
2001 11.4% -3.1%
2002 10.7% -6.3%
2003 11.0% +2.6%
2004 11.5% +4.8%
2005 11.1% -3.9%
2006 11.4% +3.0%
2007 10.6% -7.5%
2008 10.1% -4.3%
2009 10.2% +0.7%
2010 10.1% -0.9%
2011 10.0% -0.8%
2012 10.3% +3.3%
2013 9.1% -11.5%
2014 9.6% +4.9%
2015 9.4% -1.9%
2016 9.3% -1.5%
2017 9.6% +3.3%
2018 9.1% -5.1%
2019 8.8% -3.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 20.0% 17.2% 22.1% 10
1980s 15.7% 15.1% 16.8% 10
1990s 14.6% 12.4% 16.0% 10
2000s 11.0% 10.1% 11.8% 10
2010s 9.5% 8.8% 10.3% 10

Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean

  1. 28 Myanmar 17.2% compare
  2. 29 Malawi 16.7% compare
  3. 30 Republic of Moldova 16.4% compare
  4. 31 Cayman Islands 15.9% compare
  5. 32 Bhutan 15.7% compare
  6. 33 Lesotho 15.3% compare
  7. 34 Malaysia 15.1% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More reference data data for Latin America & Caribbean

All data for Latin America & Caribbean →

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 8.8% 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 22.1% 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 8.8% in 2019.
How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
Latin America & Caribbean ranks 31st 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 13.4%. 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, 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 Latin America & Caribbean. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and-4/latin-america-and-caribbean/

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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/