Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya
Kenya: Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry was 65,705 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya, 2001–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya stood at 65,705. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
The figure is down 79.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya peaked at 338,677 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 65,705, in 2023.
That places Kenya 34th out of 176 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 255,598 | — |
| 2002 | 270,831 | +6.0% |
| 2003 | 275,200 | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 287,450 | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 296,879 | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 303,553 | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 308,970 | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 338,677 | +9.6% |
| 2009 | 324,237 | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 65,705 | -79.7% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 65,705 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 43,683, 1.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 65,705 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72,258, 91% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 295,711 | 255,598 | 338,677 | 9 |
| 2020s | 65,705 | 65,705 | 65,705 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More education data for Kenya
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 168,396 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 235,728 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.74 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 8.04 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.7181 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1453 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya?
- Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya was 65,705 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 338,677 in 2008.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 65,705 in 2023.
- How does Kenya rank for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry?
- Kenya ranks 34th out of 176 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 79.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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 — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release