Girls and boys who are out of school in Ghana
Ghana: Girls and boys who are out of school was 99,325 girls in 2024. ▼ Falling
Girls and boys who are out of school in Ghana, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in girls.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 99,325 girls for girls and boys who are out of school in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of down 76.8% on the previous year and down 52.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, girls and boys who are out of school in Ghana peaked at 688,955 girls in 1999 and was at its lowest, 99,325 girls, in 2024.
Ghana ranks 41st of 180 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Girls and boys who are out of school in Ghana, year by year
| Year | girls | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 688,955 girls | — |
| 2000 | 571,377 girls | -17.1% |
| 2001 | 651,689 girls | +14.1% |
| 2002 | 589,540 girls | -9.5% |
| 2003 | 588,994 girls | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 508,725 girls | -13.6% |
| 2006 | 459,643 girls | -9.6% |
| 2007 | 384,252 girls | -16.4% |
| 2008 | 302,760 girls | -21.2% |
| 2009 | 319,132 girls | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 297,742 girls | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 299,163 girls | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 208,011 girls | -30.5% |
| 2017 | 157,392 girls | -24.3% |
| 2018 | 193,991 girls | +23.3% |
| 2019 | 136,729 girls | -29.5% |
| 2020 | 244,041 girls | +78.5% |
| 2021 | 427,902 girls | +75.3% |
| 2024 | 99,325 girls | -76.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 688,955 girls | 688,955 girls | 688,955 girls | 1 |
| 2000s | 486,235 girls | 302,760 girls | 651,689 girls | 9 |
| 2010s | 215,505 girls | 136,729 girls | 299,163 girls | 6 |
| 2020s | 257,089 girls | 99,325 girls | 427,902 girls | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More education data for Ghana
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1448 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is girls and boys who are out of school in Ghana?
- Girls and boys who are out of school in Ghana was 99,325 girls in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest girls and boys who are out of school recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 688,955 girls in 1999.
- What is the lowest girls and boys who are out of school recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 99,325 girls in 2024.
- How does Ghana rank for girls and boys who are out of school?
- Ghana ranks 41st out of 180 countries with data for 2024.
- Is girls and boys who are out of school rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Girls and boys who are out of school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Girls in the official primary school age range who are not enrolled in either primary or secondary education.