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 27.9% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Least developed countries, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Least developed countries stood at 27.9%. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Least developed countries peaked at 54.8% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 27.9%, in 2019.
That places Least developed countries 7th out of 43 groups with data for 2019, putting it 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
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 54.8% | — |
| 1971 | 54.3% | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 52.8% | -2.9% |
| 1973 | 51.4% | -2.6% |
| 1974 | 51.6% | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 50.7% | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 49.9% | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 49.3% | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 48.7% | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 48.3% | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 47.8% | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 47.6% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 47.5% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 47.3% | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 47.9% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 48.3% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 48.4% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 48.5% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 47.8% | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 48.1% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 48.6% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 48.0% | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 48.2% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 48.1% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 47.7% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 46.3% | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 46.0% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 44.9% | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 46.0% | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 45.9% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 44.6% | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 43.0% | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 40.9% | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 39.0% | -4.5% |
| 2004 | 37.8% | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 36.3% | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 34.6% | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 33.3% | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 31.6% | -5.2% |
| 2009 | 30.9% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 30.7% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 30.3% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 29.8% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 29.3% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 29.3% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 29.5% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 28.7% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 28.4% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 28.1% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 27.9% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 51.2% | 48.3% | 54.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 47.9% | 47.3% | 48.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.0% | 44.9% | 48.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.2% | 30.9% | 44.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.2% | 27.9% | 30.7% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
- 4 Eritrea 41.7% compare
- 5 Syrian Arab Republic 40.5% compare
- 6 Chad 38.6% compare
- 7 Burkina Faso 38.0% compare
- 8 Mauritania 34.4% compare
- 9 Guinea 31.7% compare
- 10 Ethiopia 31.4% compare
More reference data data for Least developed countries
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 27.34 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 13.50 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 13.85 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 6.29 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, female 6.11 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, male 6.46 years (2019)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 94.9% (2019)
- School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes 0.6598 years (2019)
- Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, adjusted gender parity 0.7262 GPIA (2019)
- Teachers in primary education, male 2.33 million number (2019)
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 27.9% 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 54.8% in 1970.
- 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 27.9% in 2019.
- How does Least developed countries rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Least developed countries ranks 7th 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 9.5%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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/