Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in European Union

European Union: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 2.1% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
2.1%
Change on year
down 0.4%
Rank
39th
of 43 groups
All-time high
4.4%
in 1973
All-time low
1.5%
in 2005
Years of data
50
1970–2019

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

234197019942019

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 European Union is 2.1%, measured in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in European Union peaked at 4.4% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2005.

That places European Union 39th out of 43 groups with data for 2019, putting it 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in European Union, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (%) in European Union, 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 3.5%
1971 3.7% +5.1%
1972 3.9% +3.4%
1973 4.4% +14.8%
1974 4.0% -8.7%
1975 4.1% +0.7%
1976 4.2% +4.0%
1977 3.9% -8.9%
1978 3.8% -2.0%
1979 3.7% -2.1%
1980 3.5% -5.2%
1981 3.7% +6.6%
1982 3.7% -1.2%
1983 3.9% +5.9%
1984 4.0% +1.7%
1985 4.1% +3.4%
1986 4.1% -1.1%
1987 3.7% -8.6%
1988 3.7% -0.6%
1989 3.8% +2.6%
1990 4.0% +4.4%
1991 4.1% +3.6%
1992 4.3% +5.1%
1993 4.0% -7.2%
1994 3.5% -12.8%
1995 3.2% -7.5%
1996 3.0% -8.0%
1997 2.7% -8.6%
1998 1.7% -36.7%
1999 2.0% +15.1%
2000 1.9% -3.0%
2001 1.9% +1.3%
2002 2.1% +9.9%
2003 2.1% -1.6%
2004 2.1% +0.3%
2005 1.5% -27.7%
2006 1.7% +11.0%
2007 2.1% +24.7%
2008 2.0% -5.8%
2009 2.0% +2.7%
2010 2.0% -2.6%
2011 2.2% +8.7%
2012 2.1% -1.4%
2013 1.9% -11.1%
2014 2.1% +12.2%
2015 1.9% -10.1%
2016 1.9% -1.6%
2017 2.0% +4.3%
2018 2.1% +5.8%
2019 2.1% -0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 3.9% 3.5% 4.4% 10
1980s 3.8% 3.5% 4.1% 10
1990s 3.3% 1.7% 4.3% 10
2000s 2.0% 1.5% 2.1% 10
2010s 2.0% 1.9% 2.2% 10

Countries ranked near European Union

  1. 36 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 11.1% compare
  2. 37 Romania 11.0% compare
  3. 38 Sao Tome and Principe 10.8% compare
  4. 39 Myanmar 10.7% compare
  5. 40 Paraguay 10.5% compare
  6. 41 Armenia 9.6% compare
  7. 42 Bhutan 9.6% compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More reference data data for European Union

All data for European Union →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in European Union?
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in European Union was 2.1% 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 European Union?
The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 1973.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in European Union?
The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2005.
How does European Union rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
European Union ranks 39th 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 European Union?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this European Union 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, both sexes (%). 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 European Union. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age/european-union/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
192 places, 4,615 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/