Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 6.6% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Latin America & Caribbean, 1998–2019
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 Latin America & Caribbean is 6.6%, measured in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and up 38.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 10.9% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 2009.
Latin America & Caribbean ranks 32nd of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 10.9% | — |
| 1999 | 10.6% | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 10.2% | -3.2% |
| 2001 | 9.8% | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 8.9% | -8.9% |
| 2003 | 8.2% | -8.7% |
| 2004 | 7.3% | -11.0% |
| 2005 | 7.2% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 6.6% | -9.0% |
| 2007 | 7.1% | +8.0% |
| 2008 | 4.9% | -31.3% |
| 2009 | 4.8% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 5.3% | +10.5% |
| 2011 | 6.1% | +14.8% |
| 2012 | 7.2% | +19.1% |
| 2013 | 5.3% | -27.2% |
| 2014 | 5.5% | +4.6% |
| 2015 | 6.1% | +10.9% |
| 2016 | 6.2% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 7.3% | +18.3% |
| 2018 | 6.8% | -6.7% |
| 2019 | 6.6% | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.7% | 10.6% | 10.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.5% | 4.8% | 10.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 5.3% | 7.3% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 29 Malawi 18.1% compare
- 30 Turks and Caicos Islands 17.2% compare
- 31 El Salvador 17.2% compare
- 32 Jamaica 17.0% compare
- 33 Moldova 16.5% compare
- 34 Puerto Rico 15.7% compare
- 35 Paraguay 15.0% compare
More education data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.34 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 63.30 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 61.44 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1923 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0928 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 22.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Latin America & Caribbean was 6.6% 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 Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 10.9% in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 2009.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 32nd out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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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About this data
Number of females of official lower secondary school age who are not enrolled in lower secondary school expressed as a percentage of the female population of official lower secondary school age.