Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in European Union

European Union: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 6.5% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
6.5%
Change on year
down 0.3%
Rank
43rd
of 45 groups
All-time high
15.5%
in 1998
All-time low
6.4%
in 2017
Years of data
23
1997–2019

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in European Union, 1997–2019

0510151997200820191997: 14.4 %1998: 15.5 %1999: 14.4 %2000: 13.8 %2001: 12.6 %2002: 11.6 %2003: 11.7 %2004: 11.5 %2005: 9.8 %2006: 9.6 %2007: 9.3 %2008: 8.4 %2009: 8.5 %2010: 8.2 %2011: 9 %2012: 9.7 %2013: 8.2 %2014: 7.3 %2015: 6.7 %2016: 6.7 %2017: 6.4 %2018: 6.5 %2019: 6.5 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in European Union stood at 6.5%.

That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 23.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in European Union peaked at 15.5% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6.4%, in 2017.

That places European Union 43rd out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in European Union, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%) in European Union, 1997 to 2019.
Year % Change
1997 14.4%
1998 15.5% +7.7%
1999 14.4% -6.8%
2000 13.8% -4.3%
2001 12.6% -8.6%
2002 11.6% -8.4%
2003 11.7% +0.9%
2004 11.5% -1.4%
2005 9.8% -14.6%
2006 9.6% -2.5%
2007 9.3% -2.5%
2008 8.4% -9.6%
2009 8.5% +0.7%
2010 8.2% -3.9%
2011 9.0% +9.9%
2012 9.7% +8.5%
2013 8.2% -15.4%
2014 7.3% -11.3%
2015 6.7% -8.2%
2016 6.7% +0.4%
2017 6.4% -5.6%
2018 6.5% +2.1%
2019 6.5% -0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 14.8% 14.4% 15.5% 3
2000s 10.7% 8.4% 13.8% 10
2010s 7.5% 6.4% 9.7% 10

Countries ranked near European Union

  1. 40 Lesotho 33.9% compare
  2. 41 El Salvador 33.9% compare
  3. 42 Bahamas 32.5% compare
  4. 43 Turks and Caicos Islands 32.0% compare
  5. 44 Paraguay 31.6% compare
  6. 45 Kenya 31.1% compare
  7. 46 Guyana 29.7% compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More reference data data for European Union

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Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in European Union?
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in European Union was 6.5% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in European Union?
The highest recorded value was 15.5% in 1998.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in European Union?
The lowest recorded value was 6.4% in 2017.
How does European Union rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
European Union ranks 43rd out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes rising or falling in European Union?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.7%. 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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in European Union. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-youth-of-upper-secondary-school-age-both-sexes-percent/european-union/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
192 places, 3,194 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of youth of official upper secondary school age who are not enrolled in upper secondary school expressed as a percentage of the population of official upper secondary school age.