Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean

Latin America & Caribbean: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 21.0% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
21.0%
Change on year
down 2.6%
Rank
30th
of 45 groups
All-time high
36.4%
in 1990
All-time low
21.0%
in 2019
Years of data
34
1986–2019

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean, 1986–2019

0102030401986200220191986: 35.5 %1987: 35.8 %1988: 35.9 %1989: 33.9 %1990: 36.4 %1991: 36.1 %1992: 35.8 %1993: 36.1 %1994: 35.5 %1995: 34.8 %1996: 33.7 %1997: 33.2 %1998: 32.5 %1999: 31.6 %2000: 30.6 %2001: 29.7 %2002: 28.7 %2003: 29.7 %2004: 29.2 %2005: 28.8 %2006: 28.7 %2007: 28.3 %2008: 27.3 %2009: 27.5 %2010: 26.3 %2011: 25.4 %2012: 25.1 %2013: 22.9 %2014: 22.9 %2015: 22.8 %2016: 22.3 %2017: 22.6 %2018: 21.6 %2019: 21 %

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 Latin America & Caribbean is 21.0%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 23.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 36.4% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 21.0%, in 2019.

That places Latin America & Caribbean 30th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%) in Latin America & Caribbean, 1986 to 2019.
Year % Change
1986 35.5%
1987 35.8% +0.6%
1988 35.9% +0.4%
1989 33.9% -5.6%
1990 36.4% +7.2%
1991 36.1% -0.7%
1992 35.8% -1.0%
1993 36.1% +1.1%
1994 35.5% -1.8%
1995 34.8% -2.1%
1996 33.7% -3.1%
1997 33.2% -1.3%
1998 32.5% -2.3%
1999 31.6% -2.7%
2000 30.6% -3.2%
2001 29.7% -2.9%
2002 28.7% -3.3%
2003 29.7% +3.4%
2004 29.2% -1.7%
2005 28.8% -1.2%
2006 28.7% -0.5%
2007 28.3% -1.2%
2008 27.3% -3.5%
2009 27.5% +0.6%
2010 26.3% -4.5%
2011 25.4% -3.2%
2012 25.1% -1.2%
2013 22.9% -8.9%
2014 22.9% -0.1%
2015 22.8% -0.1%
2016 22.3% -2.4%
2017 22.6% +1.3%
2018 21.6% -4.4%
2019 21.0% -2.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 35.3% 33.9% 35.9% 4
1990s 34.6% 31.6% 36.4% 10
2000s 28.9% 27.3% 30.6% 10
2010s 23.3% 21.0% 26.3% 10

Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean

  1. 27 Vanuatu 43.7% compare
  2. 28 Panama 43.6% compare
  3. 29 Myanmar 42.7% compare
  4. 30 British Virgin Islands 39.6% compare
  5. 31 Tajikistan 39.0% compare
  6. 32 Namibia 38.9% compare
  7. 33 Bangladesh 38.3% compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More reference data data for Latin America & Caribbean

All data for Latin America & Caribbean →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean?
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean was 21.0% 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 Latin America & Caribbean?
The highest recorded value was 36.4% in 1990.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
The lowest recorded value was 21.0% in 2019.
How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
Latin America & Caribbean ranks 30th 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 Latin America & Caribbean?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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 Latin America & Caribbean. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-youth-of-upper-secondary-school-age-both-sexes-percent/latin-america-and-caribbean/

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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.