Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in OECD members
OECD members: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 3.5% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in OECD members, 1986–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in OECD members is 3.5%, measured in 2019.
The figure is up 4.3% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in OECD members peaked at 10.3% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2009.
That places OECD members 37th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in OECD members, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 8.9% | — |
| 1987 | 9.5% | +7.0% |
| 1988 | 8.6% | -9.8% |
| 1989 | 10.3% | +20.0% |
| 1990 | 9.4% | -8.6% |
| 1991 | 9.4% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 9.4% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 8.8% | -5.9% |
| 1994 | 8.6% | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 8.4% | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 8.1% | -3.1% |
| 1997 | 8.8% | +8.7% |
| 1998 | 8.4% | -5.0% |
| 1999 | 8.1% | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 6.7% | -17.3% |
| 2001 | 6.0% | -10.5% |
| 2002 | 5.5% | -7.8% |
| 2003 | 4.7% | -14.5% |
| 2004 | 4.6% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | -10.8% |
| 2006 | 3.4% | -17.0% |
| 2007 | 3.5% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 3.5% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 3.0% | -14.3% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | +8.2% |
| 2011 | 3.1% | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 3.3% | +5.3% |
| 2013 | 3.1% | -7.7% |
| 2014 | 3.4% | +11.6% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | +8.6% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 3.4% | -6.6% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | +4.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.3% | 8.6% | 10.3% | 4 |
| 1990s | 8.7% | 8.1% | 9.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.5% | 3.0% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.6% | 10 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
- 34 Lesotho 17.4% compare
- 35 El Salvador 17.0% compare
- 36 Indonesia 16.3% compare
- 37 Republic of Moldova 15.5% compare
- 38 Suriname 15.0% compare
- 39 South Africa 14.4% compare
- 40 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 14.1% compare
More education data for OECD members
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 116.41 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91.38 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 6.28 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.2049 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0654 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 16.4% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in OECD members?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in OECD members was 3.5% 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 10.3% in 1989.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2009.
- How does OECD members rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- OECD members ranks 37th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this OECD members 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.