Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Asia
South Asia: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 22.4% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Asia, 1970–2019
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 South Asia is 22.4%, measured in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 24.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Asia peaked at 52.6% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 22.1%, in 2018.
South Asia ranks 10th of 43 groups on this measure, 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 South Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 52.4% | — |
| 1971 | 52.6% | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 51.7% | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 50.0% | -3.2% |
| 1974 | 50.1% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 49.5% | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 49.3% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 48.5% | -1.6% |
| 1978 | 49.5% | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 49.4% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 48.7% | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 48.0% | -1.6% |
| 1982 | 47.7% | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 46.6% | -2.3% |
| 1984 | 45.8% | -1.7% |
| 1985 | 45.5% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 44.7% | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 45.2% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 44.1% | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 43.0% | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 42.6% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 42.0% | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 41.3% | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 40.3% | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 39.7% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 39.8% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 39.5% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 39.6% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 41.4% | +4.6% |
| 1999 | 41.7% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 40.6% | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 40.6% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 39.8% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 36.7% | -7.7% |
| 2004 | 34.9% | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 33.3% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 32.2% | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 30.3% | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 29.4% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 29.7% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 28.2% | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 27.6% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 26.1% | -5.4% |
| 2013 | 24.9% | -4.8% |
| 2014 | 24.5% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 23.5% | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 22.9% | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 22.4% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 22.1% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 22.4% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 50.3% | 48.5% | 52.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 45.9% | 43.0% | 48.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.8% | 39.5% | 42.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.8% | 29.4% | 40.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.5% | 22.1% | 28.2% | 10 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
- 7 Guinea 38.9% compare
- 8 Burkina Faso 37.6% compare
- 9 Ethiopia 33.8% compare
- 10 Mauritania 32.2% compare
- 11 Guatemala 28.3% compare
- 12 Yemen 28.1% compare
- 13 Côte d'Ivoire 27.8% compare
More reference data data for South Asia
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 102.17 (2026)
- CPI Price, nominal 246.03 (2026)
- CPI Price, nominal, seas. adj. 247.05 (2026)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 16.19 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 33.83 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 17.64 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 5.02 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, male 5.06 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, female 4.98 years (2019)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 98.2% (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Asia?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Asia was 22.4% 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 52.6% in 1971.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.1% in 2018.
- How does South Asia rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- South Asia ranks 10th out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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/