Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana
Ghana: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 14.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana, 1999–2024
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 Ghana is 14.9%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 18.6% on the previous year and down 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana peaked at 45.2% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 13.4%, in 2019.
That places Ghana 56th 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 17 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 45.2% | — |
| 2000 | 40.7% | -10.0% |
| 2001 | 44.4% | +9.1% |
| 2002 | 41.0% | -7.7% |
| 2003 | 42.9% | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 34.9% | -18.7% |
| 2006 | 31.0% | -11.3% |
| 2007 | 25.5% | -17.6% |
| 2008 | 22.3% | -12.7% |
| 2009 | 22.8% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 17.6% | -22.9% |
| 2017 | 15.8% | -9.9% |
| 2018 | 16.5% | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 13.4% | -18.9% |
| 2020 | 14.9% | +11.4% |
| 2021 | 18.3% | +22.9% |
| 2024 | 14.9% | -18.6% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 14.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 17.8%, 84% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 14.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.6%, 58% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 45.2% | 45.2% | 45.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 33.9% | 22.3% | 44.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 15.8% | 13.4% | 17.6% | 4 |
| 2020s | 16.0% | 14.9% | 18.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 53 Marshall Islands 15.5% compare
- 54 Timor-Leste 15.0% compare
- 55 Belize 15.0% compare
- 57 Dominican Republic 14.2% compare
- 58 Philippines 13.9% compare
- 59 Nicaragua 13.7% compare
More education data for Ghana
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 174,414 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 39,902 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 949,095 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 913,117 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.6567 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1448 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana was 14.9% 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 45.2% in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.4% in 2019.
- How does Ghana rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Ghana ranks 56th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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.
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CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release