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 19.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
19.1%
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
39th
of 171 countries
All-time high
51.9%
in 1999
All-time low
13.8%
in 2019
Years of data
17
1999–2024
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana stood at 19.1%.
The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Ghana peaked at 51.9% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 13.8%, in 2019.
Ghana ranks 39th of 171 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 | 51.9% | — |
| 2000 | 47.4% | -8.8% |
| 2001 | 49.8% | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 46.5% | -6.6% |
| 2003 | 47.0% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 40.5% | -13.7% |
| 2006 | 35.1% | -13.4% |
| 2007 | 29.9% | -14.9% |
| 2008 | 26.6% | -11.0% |
| 2009 | 26.7% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 19.9% | -25.6% |
| 2017 | 16.9% | -15.0% |
| 2018 | 17.5% | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 13.8% | -20.9% |
| 2020 | 15.0% | +8.4% |
| 2021 | 19.7% | +31.7% |
| 2024 | 19.1% | -3.0% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 19.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.1%, 1.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 19.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 23.5%, 81% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 51.9% | 51.9% | 51.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 38.8% | 26.6% | 49.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 17.0% | 13.8% | 19.9% | 4 |
| 2020s | 17.9% | 15.0% | 19.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 36 Zimbabwe 21.0% compare
- 37 Sierra Leone 19.4% compare
- 38 Romania 19.2% compare
- 40 Tajikistan 18.5% compare
- 41 Bangladesh 18.3% compare
- 42 India 18.1% 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 19.1% 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 51.9% 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 13.8% in 2019.
- How does Ghana rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Ghana ranks 39th 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 3.7%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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