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

Ghana: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 3.9% in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
3.9%
Change on year
down 47.4%
World rank
70th
of 149 countries
All-time high
39.8%
in 1999
All-time low
3.9%
in 2019
Years of data
13
1999–2019

Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ghana, 1999–2019

0102030401999200920191999: 39.8 %2000: 33.5 %2001: 37.8 %2002: 33.7 %2003: 34.4 %2005: 27.2 %2006: 24.1 %2007: 21.7 %2008: 17.2 %2009: 17 %2017: 5.3 %2018: 7.3 %2019: 3.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ghana stood at 3.9%. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.

That represents a change of down 47.4% on the previous year and down 77.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ghana peaked at 39.8% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 2019.

That places Ghana 70th out of 149 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

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 Ghana, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (%) in Ghana, 1999 to 2019.
Year % Change
1999 39.8%
2000 33.5% -15.7%
2001 37.8% +12.7%
2002 33.7% -10.8%
2003 34.4% +2.0%
2005 27.2% -20.8%
2006 24.1% -11.2%
2007 21.7% -10.0%
2008 17.2% -20.8%
2009 17.0% -1.1%
2017 5.3% -69.0%
2018 7.3% +39.4%
2019 3.9% -47.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 39.8% 39.8% 39.8% 1
2000s 27.4% 17.0% 37.8% 9
2010s 5.5% 3.9% 7.3% 3

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 67 Cuba 4.0% compare
  2. 68 Colombia 4.0% compare
  3. 69 Tajikistan 3.9% compare
  4. 71 Hungary 3.8% compare
  5. 72 Maldives 3.6% compare
  6. 73 Kuwait 3.6% compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More reference data data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ghana?
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ghana was 3.9% 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 Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 39.8% in 1999.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 2019.
How does Ghana rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
Ghana ranks 70th out of 149 countries with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is down 77.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ghana 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 Ghana. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age/ghana/

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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/