Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 39.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
39.9%
Change on year
down 20.0%
World rank
26th
of 175 countries
All-time high
49.9%
in 2021
All-time low
37.1%
in 2018
Years of data
5
2018–2023
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Papua New Guinea, 2018–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Papua New Guinea stood at 39.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.0% on the previous year and up 7.5% over ten years.
That places Papua New Guinea 26th out of 175 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 37.1% | — |
| 2019 | 37.8% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 43.8% | +15.9% |
| 2021 | 49.9% | +13.9% |
| 2023 | 39.9% | -20.0% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 39.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.4%, 1.6× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 39.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 14.2%, 2.8× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 37.5% | 37.1% | 37.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 44.5% | 39.9% | 49.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 23 Yemen 44.2%
- 24 Malawi 40.3% compare
- 25 Mozambique 40.0% compare
- 27 Comoros 39.8% compare
- 28 San Marino 39.0% compare
- 29 Cote d'Ivoire 38.6% compare
More education data for Papua New Guinea
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 14,791 (2016)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 80,915 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 226,545 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 208,353 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 655,030 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.65 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 10.31 % 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 0.1593 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Papua New Guinea?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Papua New Guinea was 39.9% 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 49.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.1% in 2018.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 26th out of 175 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release