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 7,965 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 7,965 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.
That represents a change of down 34.8% on the previous year and down 67.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Australia peaked at 70,531 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 7,965, in 2024.
Australia ranks 74th of 176 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 Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 61,890 | — |
| 2002 | 63,048 | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 47,707 | -24.3% |
| 2004 | 46,783 | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 50,643 | +8.3% |
| 2006 | 47,806 | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 63,114 | +32.0% |
| 2008 | 63,508 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 67,310 | +6.0% |
| 2010 | 70,531 | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 28,849 | -59.1% |
| 2014 | 24,829 | -13.9% |
| 2015 | 18,408 | -25.9% |
| 2016 | 13,221 | -28.2% |
| 2017 | 21,598 | +63.4% |
| 2018 | 20,084 | -7.0% |
| 2019 | 24,031 | +19.7% |
| 2020 | 26,188 | +9.0% |
| 2021 | 20,462 | -21.9% |
| 2022 | 12,915 | -36.9% |
| 2023 | 12,212 | -5.4% |
| 2024 | 7,965 | -34.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 7,965 is above the median for high income countries, which is 948, 8.4× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Australia's 7,965 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,378, 2.4× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 56,868 | 46,783 | 67,310 | 9 |
| 2010s | 27,694 | 13,221 | 70,531 | 8 |
| 2020s | 15,948 | 7,965 | 26,188 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 71 Bosnia and Herzegovina 8,891 compare
- 72 Mexico 8,627 compare
- 73 El Salvador 8,608 compare
- 75 Colombia 7,322 compare
- 76 Dominican Republic 7,139 compare
- 77 Timor-Leste 7,093 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 7,965 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 70,531 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 7,965 in 2024.
- How does Australia rank for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry?
- Australia ranks 74th out of 176 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 67.9%. 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, male (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