Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Colombia

Colombia: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 6.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
6.4%
Change on year
up 83.9%
World rank
21st
of 46 countries
All-time high
7.1%
in 2002
All-time low
2.4%
in 2015
Years of data
22
2000–2024

Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Colombia, 2000–2024

2345672000201220242000: 7 %2002: 7.1 %2003: 5.8 %2004: 5.4 %2005: 5.4 %2008: 4.4 %2009: 4.5 %2010: 2.5 %2011: 4.5 %2012: 4.3 %2013: 3.7 %2014: 4.1 %2015: 2.4 %2016: 3.7 %2017: 3.6 %2018: 4 %2019: 4 %2020: 4.2 %2021: 4.5 %2022: 4.5 %2023: 3.5 %2024: 6.4 %

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 Colombia is 6.4%, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 83.9% on the previous year and up 57.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Colombia peaked at 7.1% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2015.

Colombia ranks 21st of 46 countries 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 Colombia, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, urban, both sexes (household survey data) (%) in Colombia, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 7.0%
2002 7.1% +1.1%
2003 5.8% -18.3%
2004 5.4% -6.9%
2005 5.4% -0.2%
2008 4.4% -18.3%
2009 4.5% +2.3%
2010 2.5% -44.3%
2011 4.5% +79.5%
2012 4.3% -4.4%
2013 3.7% -14.0%
2014 4.1% +10.8%
2015 2.4% -41.5%
2016 3.7% +54.2%
2017 3.6% -2.7%
2018 4.0% +11.1%
2019 4.0% +0.0%
2020 4.2% +5.0%
2021 4.5% +7.1%
2022 4.5% +0.0%
2023 3.5% -22.2%
2024 6.4% +83.9%

Colombia compared with similar countries

  • Colombia's 6.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.4%, 2.7× the median. (14 countries reporting)
  • Colombia's 6.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2.2%, 3.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 5.7% 4.4% 7.1% 7
2010s 3.7% 2.4% 4.5% 10
2020s 4.6% 3.5% 6.4% 5

Countries ranked near Colombia

  1. 18 Cameroon 9.2% compare
  2. 19 Rwanda 8.6% compare
  3. 20 Sierra Leone 7.8% compare
  4. 22 Ghana 6.0% compare
  5. 23 Jordan 6.0% compare
  6. 24 Mexico 5.8% compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More education data for Colombia

All data for Colombia →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Colombia?
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Colombia was 6.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Colombia?
The highest recorded value was 7.1% in 2002.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Colombia?
The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2015.
How does Colombia rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
Colombia ranks 21st out of 46 countries with data for 2024.
Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Colombia?
Over the last ten years it is up 57.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Colombia 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, urban, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Colombia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-adolescents-of-lower-secondary-school-age-urban-both-sexes-2/colombia/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, urban, both sexes (household survey data) (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
46 places, 503 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release