Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Italy

Italy: Share of children who are not in pre-primary school was 4.8% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
4.8%
Change on year
down 9.5%
World rank
127th
of 179 countries
All-time high
6.4%
in 2021
All-time low
0.5%
in 2008
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Italy, 2001–2023

02462001201220232001: 0.974 %2002: 0.892 %2003: 0.542 %2004: 0.921 %2005: 1.1 %2006: 0.782 %2007: 0.77 %2008: 0.463 %2009: 0.559 %2010: 1.4 %2011: 1.4 %2012: 1.5 %2013: 1.9 %2014: 2.1 %2015: 2.3 %2016: 2.5 %2017: 3.1 %2018: 3.7 %2019: 3.5 %2020: 3.7 %2021: 6.4 %2022: 5.3 %2023: 4.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Italy recorded 4.8% for share of children who are not in pre-primary school in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.5% on the previous year and up 156.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Italy peaked at 6.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2008.

That places Italy 127th out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.8% 0.5% 1.1% 9
2010s 2.4% 1.4% 3.7% 10
2020s 5.0% 3.7% 6.4% 4

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 125 Antigua and Barbuda 4.9% compare
  2. 126 Singapore 4.8% compare
  3. 128 Slovenia 4.6% compare
  4. 129 Aruba 3.9% compare
  5. 130 Cayman Islands 3.8% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More education data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Italy?
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Italy was 4.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 6.4% in 2021.
What is the lowest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2008.
How does Italy rank for share of children who are not in pre-primary school?
Italy ranks 127th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of children who are not in pre-primary school rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is up 156.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Italy data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are not in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,923 data points, 1998–2025
Last refreshed

Children one year before the official primary entry age (typically age 5) not enrolled in pre-primary education, expressed as a percentage of all children in that age group.