Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ghana
Ghana: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 5.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ghana, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 5.1% for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.
That represents a change of down 66.1% on the previous year and down 59.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ghana peaked at 45.2% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 5.1%, in 2024.
That places Ghana 88th out of 169 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 45.2% | — |
| 2000 | 38.9% | -13.9% |
| 2001 | 42.1% | +8.1% |
| 2002 | 37.8% | -10.2% |
| 2003 | 37.4% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 30.1% | -19.4% |
| 2006 | 25.4% | -15.5% |
| 2007 | 22.9% | -10.2% |
| 2008 | 18.3% | -19.7% |
| 2009 | 18.3% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 12.6% | -31.5% |
| 2017 | 10.2% | -19.1% |
| 2018 | 12.2% | +19.8% |
| 2019 | 8.5% | -30.1% |
| 2020 | 10.9% | +28.3% |
| 2021 | 15.1% | +37.6% |
| 2024 | 5.1% | -66.1% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 5.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.9%, 52% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 5.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.1%, 27% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 45.2% | 45.2% | 45.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 30.1% | 18.3% | 42.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 10.9% | 8.5% | 12.6% | 4 |
| 2020s | 10.4% | 5.1% | 15.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
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 and adolescents of primary and lower in Ghana?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Ghana was 5.1% 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 45.2% in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.1% in 2024.
- How does Ghana rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Ghana ranks 88th out of 169 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 59.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 and adolescents of primary and lower 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