Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes was 17,458 in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
17,458
Change on year
down 81.2%
World rank
100th
of 204 countries
All-time high
266,642
in 1979
All-time low
17,458
in 2024
Years of data
9
1979–2024
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Saudi Arabia, 1979–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Saudi Arabia stood at 17,458. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is down 81.2% on the previous year and down 89.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Saudi Arabia peaked at 266,642 in 1979 and was at its lowest, 17,458, in 2024.
That places Saudi Arabia 100th out of 204 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 266,642 | — |
| 2013 | 205,071 | -23.1% |
| 2014 | 166,103 | -19.0% |
| 2015 | 107,094 | -35.5% |
| 2016 | 84,608 | -21.0% |
| 2020 | 69,746 | -17.6% |
| 2021 | 109,130 | +56.5% |
| 2022 | 92,867 | -14.9% |
| 2024 | 17,458 | -81.2% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 17,458 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,450, 5.1× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 17,458 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 21,636, 81% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 266,642 | 266,642 | 266,642 | 1 |
| 2010s | 140,719 | 84,608 | 205,071 | 4 |
| 2020s | 72,300 | 17,458 | 109,130 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 97 Kyrgyzstan 18,854 compare
- 98 Uzbekistan 18,501 compare
- 99 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 17,643 compare
- 101 Guyana 17,362 compare
- 102 Bulgaria 14,529 compare
- 103 Tunisia 14,015 compare
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Saudi Arabia?
- Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Saudi Arabia was 17,458 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 266,642 in 1979.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 17,458 in 2024.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 100th out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 89.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release