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 0.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
0.7%
Change on year
down 58.8%
World rank
28th
of 37 countries
All-time high
4.2%
in 2012
All-time low
0.7%
in 2023
Years of data
20
2002–2023

Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Colombia, 2002–2023

12342002201220232002: 3 %2003: 1.1 %2004: 1.5 %2005: 2 %2008: 2.4 %2009: 3.9 %2010: 0.988 %2011: 3.5 %2012: 4.2 %2013: 3.2 %2014: 3.2 %2015: 1.3 %2016: 2.4 %2017: 2.3 %2018: 2.9 %2019: 1.7 %2020: 1.5 %2021: 2.5 %2022: 1.7 %2023: 0.7 %

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 0.7%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 58.8% on the previous year and down 78.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Colombia peaked at 4.2% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2023.

That places Colombia 28th out of 37 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 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, richest quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%) in Colombia, 2002 to 2023.
Year % Change
2002 3.0%
2003 1.1% -63.3%
2004 1.5% +36.4%
2005 2.0% +30.8%
2008 2.4% +22.3%
2009 3.9% +62.5%
2010 1.0% -74.7%
2011 3.5% +254.1%
2012 4.2% +20.0%
2013 3.2% -23.8%
2014 3.2% +0.0%
2015 1.3% -58.2%
2016 2.4% +79.4%
2017 2.3% -4.2%
2018 2.9% +26.1%
2019 1.7% -41.4%
2020 1.5% -11.8%
2021 2.5% +66.7%
2022 1.7% -32.0%
2023 0.7% -58.8%

Colombia compared with similar countries

  • Colombia's 0.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.7%, 1.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
  • Colombia's 0.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.7%, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.3% 1.1% 3.9% 6
2010s 2.6% 1.0% 4.2% 10
2020s 1.6% 0.7% 2.5% 4

Countries ranked near Colombia

  1. 25 Costa Rica 1.4% compare
  2. 26 Mexico 1.1% compare
  3. 27 Jordan 0.8% compare
  4. 28 Chile 0.7% compare
  5. 30 Dominican Republic 0.4% compare
  6. 30 Peru 0.4% compare

See the full ranking of 37 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 0.7% 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 Colombia?
The highest recorded value was 4.2% in 2012.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Colombia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2023.
How does Colombia rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
Colombia ranks 28th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Colombia?
Over the last ten years it is down 78.1%. 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, richest quintile, 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-richest-quintile-5/colombia/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, urban, richest quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
37 places, 424 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release