Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes was 53,289 in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Papua New Guinea, 1989–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Papua New Guinea is 53,289, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 28.6% on the previous year and down 84.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Papua New Guinea peaked at 384,354 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 11,662, in 2018.
That places Papua New Guinea 70th out of 204 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 169,284 | — |
| 2012 | 339,432 | +100.5% |
| 2014 | 384,354 | +13.2% |
| 2016 | 131,536 | -65.8% |
| 2018 | 11,662 | -91.1% |
| 2019 | 20,958 | +79.7% |
| 2020 | 41,444 | +97.7% |
| 2021 | 53,289 | +28.6% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 53,289 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 76,741, 69% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 53,289 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4,225, 12.6× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 169,284 | 169,284 | 169,284 | 1 |
| 2010s | 177,588 | 11,662 | 384,354 | 5 |
| 2020s | 47,366 | 41,444 | 53,289 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More education data for Papua New Guinea
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 14,791 (2016)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 80,915 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 226,545 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 208,353 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 655,030 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.65 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 10.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1593 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Papua New Guinea?
- Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Papua New Guinea was 53,289 in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 384,354 in 2014.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,662 in 2018.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 70th out of 204 countries with data for 2021.
- Is out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 84.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release