Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Bhutan
Bhutan: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 21.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Bhutan, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Bhutan stood at 21.7%. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.
The figure is down 5.8% on the previous year and down 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Bhutan peaked at 53.5% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 21.7%, in 2024.
That places Bhutan 56th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 53.5% | — |
| 1999 | 50.9% | -4.8% |
| 2000 | 50.3% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 50.6% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 44.2% | -12.6% |
| 2006 | 42.4% | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 37.4% | -11.8% |
| 2009 | 38.4% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 35.0% | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 33.1% | -5.5% |
| 2012 | 30.4% | -8.1% |
| 2013 | 31.7% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 26.0% | -18.0% |
| 2016 | 26.9% | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 26.8% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 26.6% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 22.2% | -16.5% |
| 2022 | 23.5% | +5.7% |
| 2023 | 23.0% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 21.7% | -5.8% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 21.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.4%, 89% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 21.7% is above the median for South Asia, which is 19.8%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 52.2% | 50.9% | 53.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 43.9% | 37.4% | 50.6% | 6 |
| 2010s | 29.6% | 26.0% | 35.0% | 8 |
| 2020s | 22.6% | 21.7% | 23.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More education data for Bhutan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,995 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,961 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,905 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,735 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 67,821 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,759 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1159 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Bhutan?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Bhutan was 21.7% 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 53.5% in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.7% in 2024.
- How does Bhutan rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
- Bhutan ranks 56th 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 Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bhutan 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release