Children out of school, primary in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea: Children out of school, primary was 53,289 in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
53,289
Change on year
up 28.6%
World rank
70th
of 197 countries
All-time high
384,354
in 2014
All-time low
11,662
in 2018
Years of data
8
1989–2021

Children out of school, primary in Papua New Guinea, 1989–2021

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k1989200520211989: 169.3k2012: 339.4k2014: 384.4k2016: 131.5k2018: 11.7k2019: 21.0k2020: 41.4k2021: 53.3k

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

Papua New Guinea recorded 53,289 for children out of school, primary in 2021.

The figure is up 28.6% on the previous year and down 84.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, children out of school, primary in Papua New Guinea peaked at 384,354 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 11,662, in 2018.

Papua New Guinea ranks 70th of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Children out of school, primary in Papua New Guinea, year by year

Annual values for Children out of school, primary in Papua New Guinea, 1989 to 2021.
Year Value Change
1989 169,284
2012 339,432 +100.5%
2014 384,354 +13.2%
2016 131,536 -65.8%
2018 11,662 -91.1%
2019 20,958 +79.7%
2020 41,444 +97.7%
2021 53,289 +28.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 169,284 169,284 169,284 1
2010s 177,588 11,662 384,354 5
2020s 47,366 41,444 53,289 2

Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea

  1. 67 Dominican Republic 56,334 compare
  2. 68 Palestine, State of 53,793 compare
  3. 69 Nicaragua 53,481 compare
  4. 71 Italy 52,117 compare
  5. 72 Mexico 46,859 compare
  6. 73 Solomon Islands 36,440 compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More education data for Papua New Guinea

All data for Papua New Guinea →

Frequently asked questions

What is children out of school, primary in Papua New Guinea?
Children out of school, primary in Papua New Guinea was 53,289 in 2021, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest children out of school, primary recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The highest recorded value was 384,354 in 2014.
What is the lowest children out of school, primary recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The lowest recorded value was 11,662 in 2018.
How does Papua New Guinea rank for children out of school, primary?
Papua New Guinea ranks 70th out of 197 countries with data for 2021.
Is children out of school, primary rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
Over the last ten years it is down 84.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.

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Children out of school, primary in Papua New Guinea. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/children-out-of-school-primary/papua-new-guinea/

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About this data

Indicator
Children out of school, primary
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
202 places, 4,752 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Children out of school are the number of primary-school-age children not enrolled in primary or secondary school.