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 8.4% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Latin America & Caribbean recorded 8.4% 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 3.2% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 22.4% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 8.4%, in 2019.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 31st out of 43 groups with data for 2019, putting it 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
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 22.4% | — |
| 1971 | 22.2% | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 21.9% | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 20.9% | -4.4% |
| 1974 | 21.0% | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 20.6% | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 19.4% | -5.6% |
| 1977 | 18.6% | -4.0% |
| 1978 | 18.3% | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 17.4% | -4.6% |
| 1980 | 17.1% | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 16.4% | -3.9% |
| 1982 | 16.2% | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 15.9% | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 15.8% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 15.5% | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 15.3% | -1.8% |
| 1987 | 15.3% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 15.6% | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 16.0% | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 16.1% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 15.9% | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 15.4% | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 15.3% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 15.5% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 15.2% | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 14.7% | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 14.9% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 13.4% | -9.8% |
| 1999 | 12.6% | -6.2% |
| 2000 | 12.0% | -5.1% |
| 2001 | 11.6% | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 11.1% | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 11.1% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 11.1% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 10.6% | -4.7% |
| 2006 | 10.5% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 10.0% | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 9.4% | -6.3% |
| 2009 | 9.4% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 9.4% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 9.5% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 9.8% | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 8.7% | -11.3% |
| 2014 | 9.0% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 9.0% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 8.9% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 9.2% | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 8.7% | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 8.4% | -3.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20.3% | 17.4% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.9% | 15.3% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.9% | 12.6% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.7% | 9.4% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.1% | 8.4% | 9.8% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 28 British Virgin Islands 17.4% compare
- 29 Republic of Moldova 17.1% compare
- 30 Myanmar 16.8% compare
- 31 Malawi 16.6% compare
- 32 Cayman Islands 16.0% compare
- 33 Paraguay 15.7% compare
- 34 Kenya 15.4% compare
More reference data data for Latin America & Caribbean
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 10.44 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 6.16 years (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 5.33 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 5.11 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, male 6.21 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, female 6.12 years (2019)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 87.4% (2019)
- School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes 2.09 years (2019)
- Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, adjusted gender parity 1.23 GPIA (2019)
- Teachers in primary education, male 685,896 number (2019)
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 8.4% 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 Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 22.4% 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 8.4% 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 11.3%. 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, both sexes (%). 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/