Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in North America

North America: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 0.8% in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
0.8%
Change on year
up 95.9%
Rank
43rd
of 43 groups
All-time high
10.4%
in 1972
All-time low
0.3%
in 2016
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in North America, 1970–2019

02.557.510197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in North America is 0.8%, measured in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 95.9% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in North America peaked at 10.4% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2016.

That places North America 43rd out of 43 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in North America, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%) in North America, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 10.2%
1971 10.2% -0.6%
1972 10.4% +2.5%
1973 9.5% -9.2%
1974 9.9% +4.4%
1975 9.8% -0.4%
1976 9.3% -5.6%
1977 9.1% -2.5%
1978 8.8% -3.2%
1979 8.9% +1.7%
1980 5.2% -42.1%
1981 5.2% +1.4%
1982 3.9% -24.7%
1983 4.5% +14.6%
1984 5.0% +10.0%
1985 4.7% -5.3%
1986 3.8% -19.3%
1987 4.3% +13.3%
1988 2.1% -52.0%
1989 1.5% -27.6%
1990 0.9% -42.8%
1991 0.9% +3.6%
1992 1.5% +68.2%
1993 2.2% +49.7%
1994 2.4% +7.5%
1995 2.1% -10.9%
1996 2.6% +20.6%
1997 2.4% -7.1%
1998 2.2% -6.7%
1999 2.1% -6.1%
2000 1.9% -11.6%
2001 0.9% -53.9%
2002 2.0% +134.7%
2003 1.6% -18.5%
2004 1.9% +13.2%
2005 1.0% -45.3%
2006 0.5% -54.8%
2007 0.6% +21.4%
2008 0.9% +68.9%
2009 0.8% -13.0%
2010 1.9% +126.5%
2011 2.1% +13.4%
2012 2.1% -1.6%
2013 2.1% +1.6%
2014 1.5% -27.0%
2015 1.3% -13.8%
2016 0.3% -77.5%
2017 0.3% +6.5%
2018 0.4% +26.6%
2019 0.8% +95.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 9.6% 8.8% 10.4% 10
1980s 4.0% 1.5% 5.2% 10
1990s 1.9% 0.9% 2.6% 10
2000s 1.2% 0.5% 2.0% 10
2010s 1.3% 0.3% 2.1% 10

Countries ranked near North America

  1. 40 Indonesia 9.9% compare
  2. 41 Kenya 9.8% compare
  3. 42 Suriname 9.6% compare
  4. 43 Cape Verde 9.3% compare
  5. 44 Armenia 9.1% compare
  6. 45 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 8.6% compare
  7. 46 Botswana 7.5% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for North America

All data for North America →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in North America?
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in North America was 0.8% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in North America?
The highest recorded value was 10.4% in 1972.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in North America?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2016.
How does North America rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
North America ranks 43rd out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in North America?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this North America data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in North America. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-2/north-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,340 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Proportion of children and adolescents in the official age range for primary and lower secondary education who are not enrolled in primary or lower secondary education. To calculate the indicator, the number of students of the official age for primary and lower secondary education enrolled in primary or lower secondary education is subtracted from the total population of primary and lower secondary education. The result is expressed as a percentage of the population of the official age for primary and lower secondary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/