Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Mexico
Mexico: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 7.8% in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Mexico, 1986–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Mexico recorded 7.8% for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in 2018.
The figure is up 31.1% on the previous year and up 44.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Mexico peaked at 26.4% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2015.
Mexico ranks 64th of 150 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Mexico, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 15.3% | — |
| 1987 | 15.6% | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 17.5% | +11.8% |
| 1989 | 26.4% | +51.2% |
| 1990 | 22.2% | -15.9% |
| 1991 | 21.8% | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 20.9% | -4.1% |
| 1995 | 18.6% | -11.0% |
| 1996 | 17.3% | -7.2% |
| 1999 | 16.0% | -7.6% |
| 2000 | 16.3% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 11.8% | -27.9% |
| 2003 | 8.2% | -30.5% |
| 2004 | 6.8% | -16.7% |
| 2005 | 7.0% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 5.7% | -19.5% |
| 2007 | 5.2% | -7.6% |
| 2008 | 5.4% | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 5.8% | +8.4% |
| 2010 | 7.2% | +22.3% |
| 2011 | 7.2% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 6.9% | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 4.3% | -37.4% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | -25.0% |
| 2015 | 2.4% | -25.1% |
| 2016 | 3.4% | +39.5% |
| 2017 | 5.9% | +75.3% |
| 2018 | 7.8% | +31.1% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 7.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6.2%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 7.8% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 10.0%, 78% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 18.7% | 15.3% | 26.4% | 4 |
| 1990s | 19.5% | 16.0% | 22.2% | 6 |
| 2000s | 8.0% | 5.2% | 16.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 5.4% | 2.4% | 7.8% | 9 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More education data for Mexico
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 868,550 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 96,349 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.11 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.99 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.19 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Mexico?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Mexico was 7.8% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 26.4% in 1989.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2015.
- How does Mexico rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Mexico ranks 64th out of 150 countries with data for 2018.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mexico 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.