Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 10.6% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
10.6%
Change on year
down 6.2%
Rank
25th
of 45 groups
All-time high
29.0%
in 1984
All-time low
10.6%
in 2019
Years of data
29
1984–2019

Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1984–2019

01020301984200120191984: 29 %1985: 25.7 %1993: 24.2 %1994: 25.3 %1995: 24.7 %1996: 23.5 %1997: 22.8 %1998: 22.2 %1999: 21.3 %2000: 20.6 %2001: 19.8 %2002: 18.9 %2003: 18.2 %2004: 17.3 %2005: 16.7 %2006: 16.6 %2007: 16.4 %2008: 15.8 %2009: 14.6 %2010: 14.5 %2011: 14 %2012: 12.8 %2013: 15.5 %2014: 14 %2015: 13.2 %2016: 12.1 %2017: 12.1 %2018: 11.3 %2019: 10.6 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan recorded 10.6% for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.

The figure is down 6.2% on the previous year and down 27.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 29.0% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 10.6%, in 2019.

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 25th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.

Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, both sexes (%) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1984 to 2019.
Year % Change
1984 29.0%
1985 25.7% -11.6%
1993 24.2% -5.7%
1994 25.3% +4.3%
1995 24.7% -2.4%
1996 23.5% -4.8%
1997 22.8% -3.0%
1998 22.2% -2.6%
1999 21.3% -3.8%
2000 20.6% -3.5%
2001 19.8% -3.7%
2002 18.9% -4.9%
2003 18.2% -3.5%
2004 17.3% -4.9%
2005 16.7% -3.2%
2006 16.6% -1.1%
2007 16.4% -1.2%
2008 15.8% -3.7%
2009 14.6% -7.4%
2010 14.5% -0.4%
2011 14.0% -3.8%
2012 12.8% -8.2%
2013 15.5% +20.6%
2014 14.0% -9.2%
2015 13.2% -6.3%
2016 12.1% -8.2%
2017 12.1% +0.0%
2018 11.3% -6.8%
2019 10.6% -6.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 27.4% 25.7% 29.0% 2
1990s 23.4% 21.3% 25.3% 7
2000s 17.5% 14.6% 20.6% 10
2010s 13.0% 10.6% 15.5% 10

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

  1. 22 Bahamas 29.5% compare
  2. 23 Yemen 28.4% compare
  3. 24 Mauritania 28.2% compare
  4. 25 Iraq 28.1% compare
  5. 26 Laos 27.6% compare
  6. 27 Togo 21.4% compare
  7. 28 Myanmar 21.0% compare

See the full ranking of 195 places →

More education data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 10.6% 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 29.0% in 1984.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 10.6% in 2019.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is down 27.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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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Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-adolescents-of-lower-secondary-school-age-both-sexes-percent/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
195 places, 3,656 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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.