Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in European Union
European Union: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 2.5% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in European Union, 1975–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in European Union stood at 2.5%.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in European Union peaked at 4.8% in 1976 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2005.
European Union ranks 42nd of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in European Union, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 4.3% | — |
| 1976 | 4.8% | +12.1% |
| 1977 | 3.8% | -20.7% |
| 1978 | 3.7% | -3.0% |
| 1979 | 3.4% | -6.0% |
| 1980 | 3.1% | -9.1% |
| 1981 | 3.3% | +5.8% |
| 1982 | 3.2% | -4.6% |
| 1983 | 3.1% | -2.4% |
| 1984 | 3.1% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 3.1% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 3.6% | +15.5% |
| 1987 | 3.2% | -10.6% |
| 1988 | 3.3% | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 3.3% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 3.4% | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 3.3% | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 3.4% | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 3.4% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 2.8% | -16.4% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 2.9% | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 3.0% | +4.2% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | -14.3% |
| 1999 | 2.6% | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | -8.1% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | -9.5% |
| 2003 | 2.1% | -6.0% |
| 2004 | 1.9% | -6.9% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | -31.7% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | +28.4% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | +54.4% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 2.6% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 3.1% | +21.7% |
| 2012 | 3.1% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 2.6% | -13.6% |
| 2014 | 2.9% | +8.3% |
| 2015 | 2.6% | -9.9% |
| 2016 | 2.5% | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 2.5% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | -0.2% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in European Union changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +54.4% | 1.7% | 2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.0% | 3.4% | 4.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.0% | 2.6% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.2% | 1.3% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 3.1% | 10 |
Countries ranked near European Union
- 39 South Africa 14.4% compare
- 40 Venezuela 14.1% compare
- 41 Bolivia 13.5% compare
- 42 Cape Verde 13.5% compare
- 43 Saint Kitts and Nevis 13.4% compare
- 44 Cambodia 13.3% compare
- 45 Malaysia 13.1% compare
More education data for European Union
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 14.2% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 37.39 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0517 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 1.89 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.26 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in European Union?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in European Union was 2.5% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 4.8% in 1976.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2005.
- How does European Union rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- European Union ranks 42nd out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this European Union 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
Number of adolescents of official lower secondary school age who are not enrolled in lower secondary school expressed as a percentage of the population of official lower secondary school age.