Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Guatemala
Guatemala: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 32.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
32.4%
Change on year
down 13.4%
World rank
25th
of 183 countries
All-time high
72.6%
in 1972
All-time low
19.3%
in 2010
Years of data
27
1972–2024
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Guatemala, 1972–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Guatemala stood at 32.4%.
That represents a change of down 13.4% on the previous year and up 22.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Guatemala peaked at 72.6% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 19.3%, in 2010.
That places Guatemala 25th out of 183 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 72.6% | — |
| 1974 | 70.2% | -3.4% |
| 1975 | 69.7% | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 62.2% | -10.8% |
| 1980 | 63.5% | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 61.1% | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 45.6% | -25.3% |
| 2000 | 44.2% | -3.2% |
| 2001 | 39.7% | -10.3% |
| 2002 | 39.2% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 29.0% | -25.9% |
| 2009 | 24.4% | -16.0% |
| 2010 | 19.3% | -20.8% |
| 2011 | 23.0% | +19.4% |
| 2012 | 27.0% | +17.2% |
| 2013 | 26.8% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 26.5% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 26.6% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 29.5% | +10.8% |
| 2017 | 31.5% | +6.8% |
| 2018 | 30.9% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 36.3% | +17.7% |
| 2020 | 33.4% | -7.9% |
| 2021 | 34.0% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 37.7% | +11.0% |
| 2023 | 37.4% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 32.4% | -13.4% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 32.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.5%, 4.3× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 32.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 7.7%, 4.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 68.7% | 62.2% | 72.6% | 4 |
| 1980s | 62.3% | 61.1% | 63.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 45.6% | 45.6% | 45.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 35.3% | 24.4% | 44.2% | 5 |
| 2010s | 27.7% | 19.3% | 36.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.0% | 32.4% | 37.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
- 22 Lao People's Democratic Republic 36.3% compare
- 23 Iraq 33.1% compare
- 24 Lebanon 32.5% compare
- 26 Lesotho 32.3% compare
- 27 Papua New Guinea 31.3% compare
- 28 Côte d'Ivoire 30.8% compare
More education data for Guatemala
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 122,548 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 247,917 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 335,306 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 328,468 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.42 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.3948 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1317 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Guatemala?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Guatemala was 32.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 72.6% in 1972.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.3% in 2010.
- How does Guatemala rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Guatemala ranks 25th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Guatemala data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release