Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia

Europe & Central Asia: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 4.1% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
4.1%
Change on year
down 1.1%
Rank
38th
of 43 groups
All-time high
13.1%
in 1973
All-time low
4.1%
in 2019
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia, 1970–2019

468101214197019942019

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 Europe & Central Asia is 4.1%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 37.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 13.1% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 2019.

Europe & Central Asia ranks 38th of 43 groups on this measure, in the bottom 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 Europe & Central Asia, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%) in Europe & Central Asia, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 12.6%
1971 12.9% +2.1%
1972 13.0% +0.9%
1973 13.1% +0.7%
1974 12.7% -2.9%
1975 12.6% -0.9%
1976 12.6% -0.4%
1977 12.3% -2.2%
1978 12.1% -1.3%
1979 12.1% -0.3%
1980 12.0% -0.4%
1981 12.4% +2.8%
1982 12.3% -0.9%
1983 12.2% -0.1%
1984 12.0% -2.4%
1985 11.8% -1.2%
1986 11.5% -2.5%
1987 11.1% -3.2%
1988 10.8% -3.1%
1989 10.9% +0.9%
1990 10.9% -0.4%
1991 10.6% -2.2%
1992 10.6% -0.4%
1993 10.1% -4.9%
1994 9.7% -3.6%
1995 9.7% -0.0%
1996 9.5% -1.9%
1997 9.5% +0.1%
1998 9.0% -5.8%
1999 8.5% -5.6%
2000 8.3% -2.0%
2001 7.5% -9.8%
2002 6.9% -7.9%
2003 6.3% -8.7%
2004 6.5% +3.3%
2005 6.7% +2.9%
2006 6.7% +0.5%
2007 6.7% +0.3%
2008 6.3% -6.2%
2009 6.5% +3.3%
2010 6.0% -8.5%
2011 5.8% -3.6%
2012 5.8% +1.4%
2013 5.0% -14.0%
2014 4.9% -3.0%
2015 4.5% -7.3%
2016 4.5% -0.6%
2017 4.1% -7.8%
2018 4.1% -1.0%
2019 4.1% -1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 12.6% 12.1% 13.1% 10
1980s 11.7% 10.8% 12.4% 10
1990s 9.8% 8.5% 10.9% 10
2000s 6.9% 6.3% 8.3% 10
2010s 4.9% 4.1% 6.0% 10

Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia

  1. 35 Zimbabwe 14.1% compare
  2. 36 South Africa 13.8% compare
  3. 37 Vanuatu 13.5% compare
  4. 38 Malaysia 13.4% compare
  5. 39 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 13.2% compare
  6. 40 Cape Verde 13.1% compare
  7. 41 Lesotho 13.1% compare

See the full ranking of 182 places →

More reference data data for Europe & Central Asia

All data for Europe & Central Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia?
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia was 4.1% 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 Europe & Central Asia?
The highest recorded value was 13.1% in 1973.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 4.1% in 2019.
How does Europe & Central Asia rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
Europe & Central Asia ranks 38th out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 37.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Europe & Central Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and/europe-and-central-asia/

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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, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
182 places, 4,144 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/