Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Ghana
Ghana: Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry was 7,971 in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Ghana, 2005–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 7,971 for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is down 93.8% on the previous year and down 74.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Ghana peaked at 332,398 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 7,971, in 2024.
Ghana ranks 90th of 180 countries on this measure, 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 Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 332,398 | — |
| 2006 | 285,455 | -14.1% |
| 2007 | 239,530 | -16.1% |
| 2008 | 194,230 | -18.9% |
| 2009 | 191,026 | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 182,912 | -4.2% |
| 2012 | 149,444 | -18.3% |
| 2013 | 129,407 | -13.4% |
| 2014 | 31,240 | -75.9% |
| 2017 | 179,510 | +474.6% |
| 2018 | 117,570 | -34.5% |
| 2019 | 149,903 | +27.5% |
| 2020 | 91,014 | -39.3% |
| 2021 | 129,208 | +42.0% |
| 2024 | 7,971 | -93.8% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 7,971 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86,572, 9% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 7,971 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 97,400, 8% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Ghana 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +474.6% | 31,240 | 179,510 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 248,528 | 191,026 | 332,398 | 5 |
| 2010s | 134,284 | 31,240 | 182,912 | 7 |
| 2020s | 76,064 | 7,971 | 129,208 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More education data for Ghana
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 174,414 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 39,902 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 949,095 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 913,117 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.6567 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1448 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Ghana?
- Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Ghana was 7,971 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 332,398 in 2005.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,971 in 2024.
- How does Ghana rank for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry?
- Ghana ranks 90th out of 180 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 74.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana 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 — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release