Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Guatemala
Guatemala: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 16.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
16.2%
Change on year
down 9.0%
World rank
37th
of 181 countries
All-time high
56.9%
in 1972
All-time low
9.1%
in 2011
Years of data
25
1972–2024
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Guatemala, 1972–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Guatemala recorded 16.2% for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2024.
That represents a change of down 9.0% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Guatemala peaked at 56.9% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 9.1%, in 2011.
Guatemala ranks 37th of 181 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 56.9% | — |
| 1974 | 55.3% | -2.8% |
| 1975 | 54.3% | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 48.6% | -10.5% |
| 1980 | 47.4% | -2.5% |
| 1982 | 46.3% | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 26.1% | -43.7% |
| 2000 | 24.0% | -7.9% |
| 2001 | 23.3% | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 20.9% | -10.4% |
| 2008 | 11.9% | -42.7% |
| 2011 | 9.1% | -23.9% |
| 2012 | 12.2% | +34.7% |
| 2013 | 13.7% | +12.2% |
| 2014 | 15.1% | +9.9% |
| 2015 | 15.6% | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 17.4% | +11.3% |
| 2017 | 17.6% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 16.7% | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 18.7% | +11.7% |
| 2020 | 17.6% | -5.8% |
| 2021 | 16.9% | -3.9% |
| 2022 | 18.0% | +6.7% |
| 2023 | 17.8% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 16.2% | -9.0% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 16.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.0%, 3.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 16.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 7.6%, 2.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 53.8% | 48.6% | 56.9% | 4 |
| 1980s | 46.8% | 46.3% | 47.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 26.1% | 26.1% | 26.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 20.0% | 11.9% | 24.0% | 4 |
| 2010s | 15.1% | 9.1% | 18.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 17.3% | 16.2% | 18.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More education data for Guatemala
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 122,548 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 247,917 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 335,306 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 328,468 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.42 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.3948 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1317 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Guatemala?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Guatemala was 16.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 56.9% in 1972.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.1% in 2011.
- How does Guatemala rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Guatemala ranks 37th out of 181 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Guatemala data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release