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

United States of America: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 0.5% in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
0.5%
Change on year
up 38.6%
World rank
132nd
of 149 countries
All-time high
2.5%
in 2011
All-time low
0.3%
in 2016
Years of data
9
2005–2018

Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in United States of America, 2005–2018

0.511.522.52005201120182005: 0.771 %2010: 1.9 %2011: 2.5 %2012: 2.1 %2013: 2.1 %2015: 1.5 %2016: 0.341 %2017: 0.351 %2018: 0.486 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2018, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in United States of America stood at 0.5%.

That represents a change of up 38.6% on the previous year and down 74.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in United States of America peaked at 2.5% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2016.

United States of America ranks 132nd of 149 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (%) in United States of America, 2005 to 2018.
Year % Change
2005 0.8%
2010 1.9% +144.6%
2011 2.5% +31.2%
2012 2.1% -13.3%
2013 2.1% -1.7%
2015 1.5% -29.7%
2016 0.3% -77.0%
2017 0.4% +2.7%
2018 0.5% +38.6%

United States of America compared with similar countries

  • United States of America's 0.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.3%, 39% of the median. (61 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1
2010s 1.4% 0.3% 2.5% 8

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 129 Denmark 0.6% compare
  2. 130 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.6% compare
  3. 131 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 0.5% compare
  4. 133 Cyprus 0.5% compare
  5. 134 Georgia 0.4% compare
  6. 135 France 0.4% compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More reference data data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in United States of America?
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in United States of America was 0.5% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 2011.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2016.
How does United States of America rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
United States of America ranks 132nd out of 149 countries with data for 2018.
Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is down 74.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United States of 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, 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 United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age/united-states/

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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/