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

Ghana: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 27.9% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
27.9%
Change on year
down 13.5%
World rank
47th
of 147 countries
All-time high
64.9%
in 2003
All-time low
27.9%
in 2019
Years of data
17
1999–2019

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Ghana, 1999–2019

02040601999200920191999: 61.2 %2000: 60.6 %2001: 61.6 %2002: 60.5 %2003: 64.9 %2005: 59.6 %2006: 51.5 %2007: 38.9 %2008: 38.9 %2009: 40.6 %2013: 38.1 %2014: 44.5 %2015: 39 %2016: 38.4 %2017: 37.8 %2018: 32.2 %2019: 27.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Ghana is 27.9%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.

That represents a change of down 13.5% on the previous year and down 31.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Ghana peaked at 64.9% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 27.9%, in 2019.

Ghana ranks 47th of 147 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%) in Ghana, 1999 to 2019.
Year % Change
1999 61.2%
2000 60.6% -0.9%
2001 61.6% +1.6%
2002 60.5% -1.8%
2003 64.9% +7.3%
2005 59.6% -8.2%
2006 51.5% -13.6%
2007 38.9% -24.4%
2008 38.9% +0.1%
2009 40.6% +4.3%
2013 38.1% -6.1%
2014 44.5% +16.5%
2015 39.0% -12.2%
2016 38.4% -1.6%
2017 37.8% -1.4%
2018 32.2% -14.8%
2019 27.9% -13.5%

Ghana compared with similar countries

  • Ghana's 27.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 36.9%, 76% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
  • Ghana's 27.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 48.7%, 57% of the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 61.2% 61.2% 61.2% 1
2000s 53.0% 38.9% 64.9% 9
2010s 36.9% 27.9% 44.5% 7

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 44 Paraguay 31.6% compare
  2. 45 Kenya 31.1% compare
  3. 46 Guyana 29.7% compare
  4. 48 Morocco 27.9% compare
  5. 49 Kyrgyzstan 27.8% compare
  6. 50 Bhutan 27.7% 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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Ghana?
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Ghana was 27.9% 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 Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 64.9% in 2003.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 27.9% in 2019.
How does Ghana rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
Ghana ranks 47th out of 147 countries with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is down 31.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ghana 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 Ghana. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-youth-of-upper-secondary-school-age-both-sexes-percent/ghana/

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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.