Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Asia
South Asia: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 10.5% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Asia, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Asia stood at 10.5%.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 35.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Asia peaked at 40.9% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 10.3%, in 2018.
That places South Asia 17th out of 43 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 South Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 40.7% | — |
| 1971 | 40.9% | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 39.8% | -2.6% |
| 1973 | 37.6% | -5.4% |
| 1974 | 37.7% | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 37.0% | -2.0% |
| 1976 | 36.7% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 35.7% | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 37.1% | +4.0% |
| 1979 | 37.1% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 36.5% | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 35.7% | -2.1% |
| 1982 | 35.7% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 34.7% | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 34.0% | -2.1% |
| 1985 | 34.0% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 33.0% | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 33.8% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 32.3% | -4.3% |
| 1989 | 30.9% | -4.4% |
| 1990 | 30.8% | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 30.7% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 30.3% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 29.5% | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 28.7% | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 28.7% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 28.3% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 28.4% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 29.6% | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 29.5% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 28.2% | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 28.2% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 27.3% | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 23.3% | -14.7% |
| 2004 | 21.0% | -10.0% |
| 2005 | 19.2% | -8.3% |
| 2006 | 18.0% | -6.3% |
| 2007 | 16.0% | -11.0% |
| 2008 | 15.7% | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 16.1% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 15.0% | -7.2% |
| 2011 | 14.9% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 13.5% | -9.2% |
| 2013 | 12.4% | -8.4% |
| 2014 | 11.9% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 11.3% | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 10.8% | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 10.4% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 10.3% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 10.5% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 38.0% | 35.7% | 40.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 34.1% | 30.9% | 36.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.4% | 28.3% | 30.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.3% | 15.7% | 28.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.1% | 10.3% | 15.0% | 10 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
- 14 Puerto Rico 21.2% compare
- 15 Honduras 21.1% compare
- 16 Côte d'Ivoire 19.8% compare
- 17 Yemen 19.6% compare
- 18 Guatemala 18.1% compare
- 19 Mozambique 17.8% compare
- 20 Jamaica 17.4% 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in South Asia?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Asia was 10.5% 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 40.9% in 1971.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.3% in 2018.
- How does South Asia rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- South Asia ranks 17th 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 South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.1%. 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 and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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/