Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 14.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Sri Lanka, 2010–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Sri Lanka is 14.1%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 3.7% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Sri Lanka peaked at 18.9% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 9.8%, in 2021.
Sri Lanka ranks 79th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 18.9% | — |
| 2011 | 18.0% | -5.0% |
| 2013 | 16.7% | -7.1% |
| 2015 | 13.1% | -21.5% |
| 2016 | 14.3% | +9.3% |
| 2017 | 14.0% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 11.9% | -15.0% |
| 2021 | 9.8% | -17.6% |
| 2022 | 13.6% | +38.7% |
| 2023 | 14.1% | +3.7% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 14.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.6%, 1.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 14.1% is below the median for South Asia, which is 16.7%, 85% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15.3% | 11.9% | 18.9% | 7 |
| 2020s | 12.5% | 9.8% | 14.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Sri Lanka?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Sri Lanka was 14.1% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 18.9% in 2010.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.8% in 2021.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
- Sri Lanka ranks 79th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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, both sexes (%). 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