Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Australia
Australia: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 1.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Australia, 2015–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Australia stood at 1.6%.
The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and up 906.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Australia peaked at 1.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2016.
Australia ranks 160th of 178 countries on this measure, 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 0.2% | — |
| 2016 | 0.2% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | +40.1% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +368.7% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | -34.1% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | +47.6% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | +15.5% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | +35.4% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | +4.3% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | -3.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.5%, 45% of the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.8%, 18% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 1.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 1.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Australia?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Australia was 1.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2016.
- How does Australia rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Australia ranks 160th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 906.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release