Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Asia
South Asia: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 14.4% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Asia, 1999–2019
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 South Asia is 14.4%, measured in 2019.
The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and down 48.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Asia peaked at 48.2% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 13.9%, in 2017.
That places South Asia 19th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 48.2% | — |
| 2000 | 47.4% | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 46.6% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 44.2% | -5.1% |
| 2003 | 38.9% | -11.9% |
| 2004 | 36.9% | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 35.4% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 33.2% | -6.1% |
| 2007 | 31.0% | -6.6% |
| 2008 | 29.0% | -6.5% |
| 2009 | 28.1% | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 25.0% | -11.0% |
| 2011 | 22.9% | -8.3% |
| 2012 | 20.2% | -11.8% |
| 2013 | 18.0% | -11.0% |
| 2014 | 17.4% | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 15.4% | -11.9% |
| 2016 | 14.9% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 13.9% | -7.0% |
| 2018 | 14.1% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 14.4% | +2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 48.2% | 48.2% | 48.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 37.1% | 28.1% | 47.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.6% | 13.9% | 25.0% | 10 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More education data for South Asia
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 4.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.84 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.6% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 68.1% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0959 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 160.82 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 152.88 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Asia?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Asia was 14.4% 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 48.2% in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.9% in 2017.
- How does South Asia rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- South Asia ranks 19th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Asia 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.