Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 4.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in United Kingdom, 2000–2023
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 United Kingdom is 4.0%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 8.2% on the previous year and up 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in United Kingdom peaked at 8.1% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2015.
That places United Kingdom 145th out of 175 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.8% | — |
| 2001 | 6.4% | -5.9% |
| 2002 | 5.3% | -18.1% |
| 2003 | 5.5% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 3.1% | -42.5% |
| 2005 | 3.7% | +18.5% |
| 2006 | 7.0% | +88.8% |
| 2007 | 8.1% | +15.1% |
| 2008 | 6.6% | -18.3% |
| 2009 | 5.0% | -24.4% |
| 2010 | 3.7% | -26.5% |
| 2011 | 5.9% | +61.7% |
| 2012 | 7.2% | +22.0% |
| 2013 | 3.5% | -51.7% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | -57.4% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | +31.5% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | +68.7% |
| 2019 | 3.8% | +15.0% |
| 2020 | 3.9% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 4.0% | +8.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 4.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.2%, 76% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 4.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.7%, 84% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.8% | 3.1% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 1.5% | 7.2% | 9 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 3.7% | 4.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in United Kingdom?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in United Kingdom was 4.0% 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 8.1% in 2007.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2015.
- How does United Kingdom rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
- United Kingdom ranks 145th 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 United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release