Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in India
India: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 12.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
12.9%
Change on year
down 10.6%
World rank
54th
of 162 countries
All-time high
14.5%
in 2024
All-time low
9.1%
in 2021
Years of data
7
2013–2025
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in India, 2013–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in India stood at 12.9%.
The figure is down 10.6% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in India peaked at 14.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.1%, in 2021.
India ranks 54th of 162 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 12.3% | — |
| 2020 | 10.0% | -18.8% |
| 2021 | 9.1% | -8.6% |
| 2022 | 9.9% | +8.1% |
| 2023 | 14.0% | +41.6% |
| 2024 | 14.5% | +3.4% |
| 2025 | 12.9% | -10.6% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 12.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.9%, 1.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- India's 12.9% is above the median for South Asia, which is 7.2%, 1.8× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 12.3% | 12.3% | 12.3% | 1 |
| 2020s | 11.7% | 9.1% | 14.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.31 million (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 3.10 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19.37 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.52 million (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 133.16 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 126.12 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -8.85 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0862 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in India?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in India was 12.9% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 14.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.1% in 2021.
- How does India rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- India ranks 54th out of 162 countries with data for 2025.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release