Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Ghana
Ghana: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 170,790 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Ghana, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Ghana is 170,790, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 66.1% on the previous year and down 48.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Ghana peaked at 937,904 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 170,790, in 2024.
Ghana ranks 40th of 170 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 937,904 | — |
| 2000 | 804,966 | -14.2% |
| 2001 | 918,526 | +14.1% |
| 2002 | 825,897 | -10.1% |
| 2003 | 852,178 | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 656,701 | -22.9% |
| 2006 | 612,491 | -6.7% |
| 2007 | 556,818 | -9.1% |
| 2008 | 446,763 | -19.8% |
| 2009 | 452,471 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 330,753 | -26.9% |
| 2017 | 296,997 | -10.2% |
| 2018 | 372,894 | +25.6% |
| 2019 | 285,443 | -23.5% |
| 2020 | 385,000 | +34.9% |
| 2021 | 503,625 | +30.8% |
| 2024 | 170,790 | -66.1% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 170,790 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 122,542, 1.4× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 170,790 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 251,598, 68% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 937,904 | 937,904 | 937,904 | 1 |
| 2000s | 680,757 | 446,763 | 918,526 | 9 |
| 2010s | 321,522 | 285,443 | 372,894 | 4 |
| 2020s | 353,138 | 170,790 | 503,625 | 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 out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Ghana?
- Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Ghana was 170,790 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 937,904 in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 170,790 in 2024.
- How does Ghana rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
- Ghana ranks 40th out of 170 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.4%. 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, 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 — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release