Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Colombia
Colombia: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 241,359 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Colombia, 2005–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2022, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Colombia stood at 241,359. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
The figure is up 23.0% on the previous year and up 177.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Colombia peaked at 241,359 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 19,394, in 2011.
That places Colombia 36th out of 170 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Colombia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 181,379 | — |
| 2006 | 110,696 | -39.0% |
| 2007 | 94,277 | -14.8% |
| 2008 | 81,773 | -13.3% |
| 2009 | 48,583 | -40.6% |
| 2010 | 56,791 | +16.9% |
| 2011 | 19,394 | -65.9% |
| 2012 | 87,107 | +349.1% |
| 2013 | 149,210 | +71.3% |
| 2014 | 187,481 | +25.6% |
| 2015 | 161,623 | -13.8% |
| 2016 | 205,988 | +27.4% |
| 2017 | 171,437 | -16.8% |
| 2018 | 173,305 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 174,325 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 185,077 | +6.2% |
| 2021 | 196,169 | +6.0% |
| 2022 | 241,359 | +23.0% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 241,359 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 22,713, 10.6× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 241,359 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 18,690, 12.9× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Colombia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +349.1% | 19,394 | 87,107 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 103,342 | 48,583 | 181,379 | 5 |
| 2010s | 138,666 | 19,394 | 205,988 | 10 |
| 2020s | 207,535 | 185,077 | 241,359 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More education data for Colombia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 190,940 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 234,939 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 963,182 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 937,684 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.85 million (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.14 million (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.2 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.08 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Colombia?
- Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Colombia was 241,359 in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 241,359 in 2022.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 19,394 in 2011.
- How does Colombia rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
- Colombia ranks 36th out of 170 countries with data for 2022.
- Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 177.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Colombia 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 — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release