Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 0.5% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in United Kingdom, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in United Kingdom is 0.5%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 34.4% on the previous year and down 69.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in United Kingdom peaked at 3.0% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2005.
That places United Kingdom 168th 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 United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.3% | — |
| 2001 | 0.1% | -51.6% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | -15.6% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | +22.3% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | +161.0% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -80.1% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +1237.5% |
| 2007 | 2.7% | +156.9% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | -71.5% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | -35.4% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | -24.9% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | +261.0% |
| 2012 | 3.0% | +122.6% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | -43.9% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | -7.2% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -37.3% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | -16.5% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -21.6% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | -36.2% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 0.4% | -3.8% |
| 2023 | 0.5% | +34.4% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 0.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.8%, 29% of the median. (69 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 0.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.4%, 35% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +1237.5% | 0.1% | 1.0% |
| 2011 | +261.0% | 0.4% | 1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.1% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 0.4% | 3.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in United Kingdom?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in United Kingdom was 0.5% 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 3.0% in 2012.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2005.
- How does United Kingdom rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- United Kingdom ranks 168th 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 United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release