Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Australia
Australia: Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry was 15,582 in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Australia, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Australia recorded 15,582 for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 35.3% on the previous year and down 68.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Australia peaked at 138,325 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 15,582, in 2024.
That places Australia 78th out of 180 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.
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 120,505 | — |
| 2002 | 122,254 | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 92,718 | -24.2% |
| 2004 | 91,595 | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 98,438 | +7.5% |
| 2006 | 95,229 | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 124,243 | +30.5% |
| 2008 | 124,794 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 131,235 | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 138,325 | +5.4% |
| 2013 | 56,366 | -59.3% |
| 2014 | 49,307 | -12.5% |
| 2015 | 36,507 | -26.0% |
| 2016 | 27,600 | -24.4% |
| 2017 | 42,389 | +53.6% |
| 2018 | 40,069 | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 47,125 | +17.6% |
| 2020 | 51,096 | +8.4% |
| 2021 | 40,262 | -21.2% |
| 2022 | 25,379 | -37.0% |
| 2023 | 24,092 | -5.1% |
| 2024 | 15,582 | -35.3% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 15,582 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1,726, 9.0× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Australia's 15,582 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9,233, 1.7× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 111,223 | 91,595 | 131,235 | 9 |
| 2010s | 54,711 | 27,600 | 138,325 | 8 |
| 2020s | 31,282 | 15,582 | 51,096 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 75 Korea 17,519 compare
- 76 Bosnia and Herzegovina 17,192 compare
- 77 El Salvador 15,692 compare
- 79 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 13,249 compare
- 80 Germany 13,088 compare
- 81 Comoros 13,086 compare
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Australia?
- Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Australia was 15,582 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 138,325 in 2010.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15,582 in 2024.
- How does Australia rank for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry?
- Australia ranks 78th out of 180 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 68.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release