Children out of school, primary in Ghana
Ghana: Children out of school, primary was 235,313 in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Children out of school, primary in Ghana, 1999–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for children out of school, primary in Ghana is 235,313, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 50.2% on the previous year and down 40.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, children out of school, primary in Ghana peaked at 1.34 million in 1999 and was at its lowest, 10,368, in 2016.
That places Ghana 36th out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Children out of school, primary in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1.34 million | — |
| 2000 | 1.10 million | -17.7% |
| 2001 | 1.28 million | +16.1% |
| 2002 | 1.16 million | -9.7% |
| 2003 | 1.17 million | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 988,778 | -15.3% |
| 2006 | 920,149 | -6.9% |
| 2007 | 758,718 | -17.5% |
| 2008 | 593,776 | -21.7% |
| 2009 | 624,637 | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 438,204 | -29.8% |
| 2012 | 529,329 | +20.8% |
| 2014 | 392,764 | -25.8% |
| 2016 | 10,368 | -97.4% |
| 2017 | 299,178 | +2785.6% |
| 2018 | 364,440 | +21.8% |
| 2019 | 251,231 | -31.1% |
| 2020 | 492,043 | +95.9% |
| 2021 | 472,753 | -3.9% |
| 2024 | 235,313 | -50.2% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Children out of school, primary in Ghana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +2785.6% | 10,368 | 299,178 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.34 million | 1.34 million | 1.34 million | 1 |
| 2000s | 955,188 | 593,776 | 1.28 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 326,502 | 10,368 | 529,329 | 7 |
| 2020s | 400,036 | 235,313 | 492,043 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More education data for Ghana
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 95.93 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 95.23 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 174,414 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 39,902 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 949,095 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 913,117 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.6567 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is children out of school, primary in Ghana?
- Children out of school, primary in Ghana was 235,313 in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest children out of school, primary recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 1.34 million in 1999.
- What is the lowest children out of school, primary recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 10,368 in 2016.
- How does Ghana rank for children out of school, primary?
- Ghana ranks 36th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is children out of school, primary rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Children out of school, primary. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Children out of school are the number of primary-school-age children not enrolled in primary or secondary school.