Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Tonga
Tonga: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 1.3% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Tonga, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Tonga recorded 1.3% for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
The figure is down 11.5% on the previous year and down 72.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Tonga peaked at 11.7% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2023.
That places Tonga 145th out of 181 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in Tonga, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9.6% | — |
| 1999 | 7.7% | -19.5% |
| 2001 | 11.7% | +51.7% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | -75.9% |
| 2013 | 4.7% | +65.4% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | -31.1% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | +22.8% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | -49.2% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | +92.2% |
| 2021 | 5.2% | +34.5% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | -72.0% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | -11.5% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 1.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.0%, 25% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 1.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.9%, 33% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.6% | 7.7% | 9.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.7% | 11.7% | 11.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 3.3% | 2.0% | 4.7% | 5 |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 1.3% | 5.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
More education data for Tonga
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,086 (2015)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 20 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1,228 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1,164 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 16,132 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15,644 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1502 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Tonga?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Tonga was 1.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 11.7% in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2023.
- How does Tonga rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Tonga ranks 145th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is down 72.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Tonga 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 — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release