Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 34.0% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Least developed countries, 1998–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Least developed countries stood at 34.0%. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Least developed countries peaked at 51.1% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 34.0%, in 2019.
Least developed countries ranks 7th of 45 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 51.1% | — |
| 1999 | 50.3% | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 49.5% | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 48.6% | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 46.3% | -4.7% |
| 2003 | 44.7% | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 43.9% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 43.7% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 41.5% | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 40.2% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 39.2% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 38.3% | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 36.8% | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 36.3% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 35.3% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 35.7% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 36.1% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 35.9% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 35.9% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 34.7% | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 34.2% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 34.0% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 50.7% | 50.3% | 51.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 43.6% | 38.3% | 49.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.5% | 34.0% | 36.8% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
- 4 Mali 52.8% compare
- 5 Guinea 51.2% compare
- 6 Djibouti 47.7% compare
- 7 Ethiopia 47.0% compare
- 8 Burkina Faso 46.1% compare
- 9 Côte d'Ivoire 44.4% compare
- 10 Mozambique 43.1% compare
More education data for Least developed countries
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 4.43 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 75.92 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 171.01 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1441 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 57.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 38.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Least developed countries?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Least developed countries was 34.0% 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 Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 51.1% in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.0% in 2019.
- How does Least developed countries rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Least developed countries ranks 7th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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.