Children out of school in New Zealand
New Zealand: Children out of school was 2.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Children out of school in New Zealand, 2013–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of primary school age.
Analysis
The most recent figure for children out of school in New Zealand is 2.6%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is up 14.0% on the previous year and up 183.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, children out of school in New Zealand peaked at 2.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2013.
That places New Zealand 115th out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Children out of school in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of primary school age | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 0.6% | — |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +46.0% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | +26.8% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | -24.2% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | +32.5% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 2.5% | +88.7% |
| 2023 | 2.3% | -9.7% |
| 2024 | 2.6% | +14.0% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 2.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.8%, 1.4× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 2.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.6%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.6% | 1.3% | 6 |
| 2020s | 2.0% | 1.3% | 2.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More education data for New Zealand
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 36,426 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 12,020 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 56,552 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 53,804 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 562,417 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 383,018 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0724 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is children out of school in New Zealand?
- Children out of school in New Zealand was 2.6% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest children out of school recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest children out of school recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2013.
- How does New Zealand rank for children out of school?
- New Zealand ranks 115th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is children out of school rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 183.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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 — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.