Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region was 4,491 children in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
4,491 children
Change on year
down 5.6%
World rank
127th
of 196 countries
All-time high
19,780 children
in 2001
All-time low
245.85 children
in 2019
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region in Hong Kong, 2001–2024

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k2001201220242001: 19.8k children2002: 18.0k children2003: 9.7k children2004: 14.7k children2005: 9.5k children2006: 5.6k children2007: 7.5k children2008: 1.8k children2009: 1.4k children2010: 1.4k children2011: 914.9 children2012: 959.5 children2013: 1.1k children2014: 2.4k children2015: 2.8k children2016: 2.3k children2017: 740.1 children2018: 441.2 children2019: 245.9 children2020: 2.4k children2021: 3.6k children2022: 4.0k children2023: 4.8k children2024: 4.5k children

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in children.

Analysis

Hong Kong recorded 4,491 children for primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region in 2024.

The figure is down 5.6% on the previous year and up 85.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region in Hong Kong peaked at 19,780 children in 2001 and was at its lowest, 245.85 children, in 2019.

That places Hong Kong 127th out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region in Hong Kong, year by year

Annual values for Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region in Hong Kong, 2001 to 2024.
Year children Change
2001 19,780 children
2002 18,027 children -8.9%
2003 9,681 children -46.3%
2004 14,673 children +51.6%
2005 9,515 children -35.2%
2006 5,601 children -41.1%
2007 7,466 children +33.3%
2008 1,798 children -75.9%
2009 1,420 children -21.0%
2010 1,390 children -2.1%
2011 914.93 children -34.2%
2012 959.52 children +4.9%
2013 1,059 children +10.4%
2014 2,426 children +129.0%
2015 2,776 children +14.4%
2016 2,271 children -18.2%
2017 740.05 children -67.4%
2018 441.18 children -40.4%
2019 245.85 children -44.3%
2020 2,372 children +865.0%
2021 3,587 children +51.2%
2022 3,956 children +10.3%
2023 4,755 children +20.2%
2024 4,491 children -5.6%

Hong Kong compared with similar countries

  • Hong Kong's 4,491 children is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,674 children, 1.2× the median. (72 countries reporting)
  • Hong Kong's 4,491 children is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4,225 children, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region in Hong Kong 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.

YearChange FromTo
2020 +865.0% 245.85 children 2,372 children

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 9,773 children 1,420 children 19,780 children 9
2010s 1,322 children 245.85 children 2,776 children 10
2020s 3,832 children 2,372 children 4,755 children 5

Countries ranked near Hong Kong

  1. 124 Czechia 4,700 children compare
  2. 125 Macao 4,608 children compare
  3. 126 Bahamas 4,585 children compare
  4. 128 Sweden 4,270 children compare
  5. 129 Namibia 4,230 children compare
  6. 130 Japan 4,225 children compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More education data for Hong Kong

All data for Hong Kong →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region in Hong Kong?
Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region in Hong Kong was 4,491 children in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region recorded in Hong Kong?
The highest recorded value was 19,780 children in 2001.
What is the lowest primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region recorded in Hong Kong?
The lowest recorded value was 245.85 children in 2019.
How does Hong Kong rank for primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region?
Hong Kong ranks 127th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
Is primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region rising or falling in Hong Kong?
Over the last ten years it is up 85.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Hong Kong data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region in Hong Kong. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-of-primary-school-age-by-world-region/hong-kong-sar-china/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-of-primary-school-age-by-world-region/hong-kong-sar-china/">Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region in Hong Kong</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region
Unit
children
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
196 places, 4,008 data points, 1986–2025
Last refreshed

Children in the official primary school age range who are not enrolled in either primary or secondary education.