Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Ghana
Ghana: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 36.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Ghana, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 36.0% for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in 2024.
That represents a change of up 67.7% on the previous year and up 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Ghana peaked at 59.6% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 20.0%, in 2020.
That places Ghana 33rd out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 59.6% | — |
| 2000 | 58.5% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 58.7% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 56.4% | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 57.4% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 50.0% | -12.8% |
| 2006 | 42.7% | -14.8% |
| 2007 | 37.2% | -12.8% |
| 2008 | 35.7% | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 35.8% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 26.8% | -25.1% |
| 2014 | 31.2% | +16.5% |
| 2015 | 26.5% | -15.2% |
| 2016 | 27.4% | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 27.9% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 27.3% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 22.6% | -17.1% |
| 2020 | 20.0% | -11.7% |
| 2021 | 21.5% | +7.5% |
| 2024 | 36.0% | +67.7% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 36.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 26.6%, 1.4× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 36.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 38.3%, 94% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 59.6% | 59.6% | 59.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 48.0% | 35.7% | 58.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 27.1% | 22.6% | 31.2% | 7 |
| 2020s | 25.8% | 20.0% | 36.0% | 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 rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Ghana?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Ghana was 36.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 59.6% in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.0% in 2020.
- How does Ghana rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
- Ghana ranks 33rd out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release