Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bhutan
Bhutan: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 17.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bhutan, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bhutan is 17.9%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.
The figure is down 7.5% on the previous year and down 17.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bhutan peaked at 46.2% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 2024.
That places Bhutan 45th out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 46.2% | — |
| 1999 | 44.9% | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 43.7% | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 43.0% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 36.9% | -14.3% |
| 2006 | 33.9% | -8.2% |
| 2008 | 28.8% | -15.1% |
| 2009 | 27.0% | -6.1% |
| 2010 | 24.3% | -9.9% |
| 2011 | 22.9% | -5.9% |
| 2012 | 20.6% | -10.1% |
| 2013 | 21.6% | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 19.7% | -9.2% |
| 2016 | 20.4% | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 20.5% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 19.4% | -5.2% |
| 2021 | 21.1% | +8.5% |
| 2022 | 18.9% | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 19.3% | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 17.9% | -7.5% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 17.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 17.8%, 1.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 17.9% is below the median for South Asia, which is 19.0%, 94% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 45.6% | 44.9% | 46.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.5% | 27.0% | 43.7% | 6 |
| 2010s | 21.2% | 19.4% | 24.3% | 8 |
| 2020s | 19.3% | 17.9% | 21.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More education data for Bhutan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,995 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,961 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,905 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,735 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 67,821 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,759 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1159 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bhutan?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Bhutan was 17.9% 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 46.2% in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 2024.
- How does Bhutan rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Bhutan ranks 45th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bhutan 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release