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 29.6% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
29.6%
Change on year
down 0.7%
Rank
8th
of 43 groups
All-time high
62.2%
in 1971
All-time low
29.6%
in 2019
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Least developed countries, 1970–2019

0204060197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Least developed countries recorded 29.6% 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.

That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Least developed countries peaked at 62.2% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 29.6%, in 2019.

That places Least developed countries 8th 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

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%) in Least developed countries, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 61.8%
1971 62.2% +0.6%
1972 60.6% -2.6%
1973 58.8% -3.0%
1974 58.8% +0.0%
1975 57.4% -2.4%
1976 56.4% -1.8%
1977 55.8% -1.0%
1978 55.0% -1.4%
1979 54.4% -1.2%
1980 53.6% -1.5%
1981 53.1% -1.0%
1982 53.1% +0.1%
1983 53.1% -0.0%
1984 53.2% +0.3%
1985 53.7% +0.8%
1986 53.7% +0.0%
1987 53.8% +0.3%
1988 52.6% -2.3%
1989 52.9% +0.5%
1990 53.3% +0.9%
1991 52.5% -1.4%
1992 52.8% +0.5%
1993 52.6% -0.3%
1994 52.3% -0.6%
1995 51.2% -2.1%
1996 51.0% -0.5%
1997 49.8% -2.4%
1998 50.8% +2.2%
1999 50.5% -0.7%
2000 49.0% -2.9%
2001 47.5% -3.1%
2002 45.0% -5.2%
2003 42.9% -4.7%
2004 41.5% -3.4%
2005 40.0% -3.4%
2006 38.1% -4.8%
2007 36.6% -3.8%
2008 34.8% -5.0%
2009 33.8% -2.8%
2010 33.3% -1.5%
2011 32.7% -2.0%
2012 31.8% -2.5%
2013 31.3% -1.6%
2014 31.1% -0.8%
2015 31.2% +0.4%
2016 30.5% -2.2%
2017 30.1% -1.6%
2018 29.8% -1.0%
2019 29.6% -0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 58.1% 54.4% 62.2% 10
1980s 53.3% 52.6% 53.8% 10
1990s 51.7% 49.8% 53.3% 10
2000s 40.9% 33.8% 49.0% 10
2010s 31.1% 29.6% 33.3% 10

Countries ranked near Least developed countries

  1. 5 Eritrea 44.9% compare
  2. 6 Syrian Arab Republic 41.1% compare
  3. 7 Guinea 38.9% compare
  4. 8 Burkina Faso 37.6% compare
  5. 9 Ethiopia 33.8% compare
  6. 10 Mauritania 32.2% compare
  7. 11 Guatemala 28.3% compare

See the full ranking of 182 places →

More reference data data for Least developed countries

All data for Least developed countries →

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 29.6% 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 62.2% in 1971.
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 29.6% in 2019.
How does Least developed countries rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
Least developed countries ranks 8th 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 12.6%. 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, 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 Least developed countries. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and/least-developed-countries-un-classification/

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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/