Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Bhutan
Bhutan: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 10,653 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Bhutan, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Bhutan recorded 10,653 for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.
That represents a change of down 10.4% on the previous year and down 22.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Bhutan peaked at 34,940 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 10,653, in 2024.
That places Bhutan 99th out of 170 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 34,940 | — |
| 1999 | 34,708 | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 34,799 | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 34,290 | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 29,462 | -14.1% |
| 2006 | 26,574 | -9.8% |
| 2008 | 21,140 | -20.4% |
| 2009 | 19,405 | -8.2% |
| 2010 | 17,014 | -12.3% |
| 2011 | 15,259 | -10.3% |
| 2012 | 12,921 | -15.3% |
| 2013 | 13,745 | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 13,129 | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 13,670 | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 13,981 | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 13,028 | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 14,865 | +14.1% |
| 2022 | 12,093 | -18.6% |
| 2023 | 11,885 | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 10,653 | -10.4% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 10,653 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 122,542, 9% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 10,653 is below the median for South Asia, which is 138,377, 8% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 34,824 | 34,708 | 34,940 | 2 |
| 2000s | 27,612 | 19,405 | 34,799 | 6 |
| 2010s | 14,093 | 12,921 | 17,014 | 8 |
| 2020s | 12,374 | 10,653 | 14,865 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More education data for Bhutan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,995 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,961 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,905 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,735 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 67,821 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,759 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1159 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Bhutan?
- Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Bhutan was 10,653 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 34,940 in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 10,653 in 2024.
- How does Bhutan rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
- Bhutan ranks 99th out of 170 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release