Children out of school in Australia

Australia: Children out of school was 0.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
0.1%
Change on year
down 40.1%
World rank
186th
of 196 countries
All-time high
4.7%
in 2000
All-time low
0.0%
in 2016
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Children out of school in Australia, 2000–2024

0123452000201220242000: 4.7 % of primary school age2001: 0.476 % of primary school age2002: 0.331 % of primary school age2003: 1.4 % of primary school age2004: 1.1 % of primary school age2005: 0.573 % of primary school age2006: 0.482 % of primary school age2007: 0.262 % of primary school age2008: 0.297 % of primary school age2009: 0.305 % of primary school age2010: 0.324 % of primary school age2011: 2.7 % of primary school age2012: 2.3 % of primary school age2013: 0.048 % of primary school age2014: 0.072 % of primary school age2015: 0.028 % of primary school age2016: 0.008 % of primary school age2017: 0.058 % of primary school age2018: 0.192 % of primary school age2019: 0.214 % of primary school age2020: 0.581 % of primary school age2021: 0.368 % of primary school age2022: 0.296 % of primary school age2023: 0.207 % of primary school age2024: 0.124 % of primary school age

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of primary school age.

Analysis

In 2024, children out of school in Australia stood at 0.1%.

That represents a change of down 40.1% on the previous year and up 72.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, children out of school in Australia peaked at 4.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2016.

Australia ranks 186th of 196 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Children out of school in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Children out of school (% of primary school age) in Australia, 2000 to 2024.
Year % of primary school age Change
2000 4.7%
2001 0.5% -89.9%
2002 0.3% -30.4%
2003 1.4% +317.9%
2004 1.1% -19.1%
2005 0.6% -48.9%
2006 0.5% -15.8%
2007 0.3% -45.7%
2008 0.3% +13.7%
2009 0.3% +2.4%
2010 0.3% +6.2%
2011 2.7% +736.4%
2012 2.3% -14.8%
2013 0.0% -97.9%
2014 0.1% +49.1%
2015 0.0% -60.9%
2016 0.0% -72.3%
2017 0.1% +642.8%
2018 0.2% +231.6%
2019 0.2% +11.7%
2020 0.6% +171.4%
2021 0.4% -36.7%
2022 0.3% -19.4%
2023 0.2% -30.0%
2024 0.1% -40.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.0% 0.3% 4.7% 10
2010s 0.6% 0.0% 2.7% 10
2020s 0.3% 0.1% 0.6% 5

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 183 Switzerland 0.1% compare
  2. 184 Turks and Caicos Islands 0.1% compare
  3. 185 Lithuania 0.1% compare
  4. 187 India 0.1% compare
  5. 188 Greece 0.1% compare
  6. 189 Iran, Islamic Republic of 0.1% compare

See the full ranking of 201 places →

More education data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is children out of school in Australia?
Children out of school in Australia was 0.1% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest children out of school recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 4.7% in 2000.
What is the lowest children out of school recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2016.
How does Australia rank for children out of school?
Australia ranks 186th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
Is children out of school rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 72.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Children out of school (% of primary school age). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Children out of school in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/children-out-of-school-percent-of-primary-school-age/australia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/children-out-of-school-percent-of-primary-school-age/australia/">Children out of school in Australia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Children out of school (% of primary school age)
Unit
% of primary school age
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
201 places, 4,722 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Children out of school are the percentage of primary-school-age children who are not enrolled in primary or secondary school. Children in the official primary age group that are in preprimary education should be considered out of school.