Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in North America

North America: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 1.1% in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
1.1%
Change on year
up 66,309.2%
Rank
45th
of 45 groups
All-time high
5.2%
in 1987
All-time low
0.0%
in 2018
Years of data
34
1986–2019

Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in North America, 1986–2019

02461986200220191986: 0.507 %1987: 5.2 %1988: 0.406 %1989: 0.354 %1990: 0.301 %1991: 0.248 %1992: 0.195 %1993: 0.148 %1994: 0.056 %1995: 0.446 %1996: 0.125 %1997: 1 %1998: 1.9 %1999: 2.6 %2000: 1.1 %2001: 0.407 %2002: 1.1 %2003: 0.863 %2004: 2.2 %2005: 1.9 %2006: 0.965 %2007: 1.1 %2008: 1.5 %2009: 0.312 %2010: 1 %2011: 0.294 %2012: 0.62 %2013: 1.2 %2014: 1.4 %2015: 0.385 %2016: 0.093 %2017: 0.032 %2018: 0.002 %2019: 1.1 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in North America stood at 1.1%.

That represents a change of up 66,309.2% on the previous year and up 268.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in North America peaked at 5.2% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2018.

That places North America 45th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in North America, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, female (%) in North America, 1986 to 2019.
Year % Change
1986 0.5%
1987 5.2% +930.5%
1988 0.4% -92.2%
1989 0.4% -12.9%
1990 0.3% -15.0%
1991 0.2% -17.7%
1992 0.2% -21.2%
1993 0.1% -24.4%
1994 0.1% -62.4%
1995 0.4% +703.1%
1996 0.1% -72.0%
1997 1.0% +700.9%
1998 1.9% +94.6%
1999 2.6% +31.8%
2000 1.1% -55.7%
2001 0.4% -64.1%
2002 1.1% +168.5%
2003 0.9% -21.1%
2004 2.2% +152.1%
2005 1.9% -12.3%
2006 1.0% -49.4%
2007 1.1% +15.0%
2008 1.5% +37.6%
2009 0.3% -79.6%
2010 1.0% +230.9%
2011 0.3% -71.5%
2012 0.6% +110.6%
2013 1.2% +95.4%
2014 1.4% +12.0%
2015 0.4% -71.6%
2016 0.1% -76.0%
2017 0.0% -65.3%
2018 0.0% -94.6%
2019 1.1% +66309.2%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in North America changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2019 +66309.2% 0.0% 1.1%
1987 +930.5% 0.5% 5.2%
1995 +703.1% 0.1% 0.4%
1997 +700.9% 0.1% 1.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.6% 0.4% 5.2% 4
1990s 0.7% 0.1% 2.6% 10
2000s 1.1% 0.3% 2.2% 10
2010s 0.6% 0.0% 1.4% 10

Countries ranked near North America

  1. 42 South Africa 13.2% compare
  2. 43 Cape Verde 13.2% compare
  3. 44 Malaysia 11.6% compare
  4. 45 Panama 11.6% compare
  5. 46 Morocco 11.4% compare
  6. 47 Suriname 11.1% compare
  7. 48 Belize 10.8% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More education data for North America

All data for North America →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in North America?
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in North America was 1.1% 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 North America?
The highest recorded value was 5.2% in 1987.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in North America?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2018.
How does North America rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
North America ranks 45th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in North America?
Over the last ten years it is up 268.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this North America 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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Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in North America. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-adolescents-of-lower-secondary-school-age-female-percent/north-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
179 places, 3,006 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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.