Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 20.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
20.8%
World rank
40th
of 162 countries
All-time high
56.6%
in 1971
All-time low
10.2%
in 2006
Years of data
16
1971–2023
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Nicaragua, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nicaragua recorded 20.8% for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in 2023.
That represents a change of up 39.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Nicaragua peaked at 56.6% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 10.2%, in 2006.
Nicaragua ranks 40th of 162 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 56.6% | — |
| 1980 | 43.2% | -23.6% |
| 1983 | 40.6% | -6.0% |
| 1984 | 47.9% | +17.8% |
| 1985 | 47.1% | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 48.6% | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 47.5% | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 47.5% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 30.4% | -36.0% |
| 2001 | 34.5% | +13.4% |
| 2002 | 30.0% | -12.9% |
| 2004 | 25.6% | -14.7% |
| 2005 | 22.1% | -13.8% |
| 2006 | 10.2% | -54.0% |
| 2010 | 14.9% | +46.7% |
| 2023 | 20.8% | +39.3% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 20.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.9%, 1.6× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 20.8% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 8.5%, 2.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 56.6% | 56.6% | 56.6% | 1 |
| 1980s | 46.1% | 40.6% | 48.6% | 7 |
| 2000s | 25.5% | 10.2% | 34.5% | 6 |
| 2010s | 14.9% | 14.9% | 14.9% | 1 |
| 2020s | 20.8% | 20.8% | 20.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
- 37 Malawi 23.0% compare
- 38 Solomon Islands 22.1% compare
- 39 Micronesia, Federated States of 21.6% compare
- 41 Jamaica 20.1% compare
- 42 El Salvador 19.9% compare
- 43 Panama 19.7% compare
More education data for Nicaragua
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 85,306 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 132,281 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 131,337 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 463,660 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 880,080 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9095 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.129 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Nicaragua?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Nicaragua was 20.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 56.6% in 1971.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.2% in 2006.
- How does Nicaragua rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Nicaragua ranks 40th out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release