Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Iran
Iran: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 172,299 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Iran, 2009–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Iran recorded 172,299 for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.7% on the previous year and down 38.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Iran peaked at 390,946 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 172,299, in 2023.
Iran ranks 39th of 170 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 338,057 | — |
| 2010 | 390,946 | +15.6% |
| 2011 | 353,113 | -9.7% |
| 2012 | 349,855 | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 279,750 | -20.0% |
| 2014 | 255,790 | -8.6% |
| 2016 | 267,155 | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 231,667 | -13.3% |
| 2020 | 213,746 | -7.7% |
| 2022 | 195,186 | -8.7% |
| 2023 | 172,299 | -11.7% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 172,299 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 22,713, 7.6× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Iran's 172,299 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 53,433, 3.2× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 338,057 | 338,057 | 338,057 | 1 |
| 2010s | 304,039 | 231,667 | 390,946 | 7 |
| 2020s | 193,744 | 172,299 | 213,746 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More education data for Iran
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Iran?
- Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Iran was 172,299 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 390,946 in 2010.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 172,299 in 2023.
- How does Iran rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
- Iran ranks 39th out of 170 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran 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 — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release