Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Romania

Romania: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 16.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
16.1%
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
34th
of 169 countries
All-time high
16.1%
in 2023
All-time low
1.9%
in 2002
Years of data
19
2001–2023

Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Romania, 2001–2023

0510152001201220232001: 3.5 %2002: 1.9 %2003: 5.8 %2004: 9.6 %2005: 14.2 %2006: 12.4 %2007: 14.1 %2008: 9 %2009: 3.2 %2010: 4.1 %2011: 5 %2012: 7 %2015: 8.4 %2016: 9.3 %2017: 10 %2018: 9.7 %2019: 9.4 %2022: 15.8 %2023: 16.1 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Romania recorded 16.1% for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2023. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 130.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Romania peaked at 16.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2002.

Romania ranks 34th of 169 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Romania, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%) in Romania, 2001 to 2023.
Year % Change
2001 3.5%
2002 1.9% -47.2%
2003 5.8% +212.5%
2004 9.6% +64.2%
2005 14.2% +48.3%
2006 12.4% -12.7%
2007 14.1% +14.3%
2008 9.0% -36.6%
2009 3.2% -64.8%
2010 4.1% +28.6%
2011 5.0% +22.0%
2012 7.0% +40.6%
2015 8.4% +21.0%
2016 9.3% +10.2%
2017 10.0% +7.7%
2018 9.7% -2.8%
2019 9.4% -3.0%
2022 15.8% +68.0%
2023 16.1% +1.3%

Romania compared with similar countries

  • Romania's 16.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.2%, 7.2× the median. (64 countries reporting)
  • Romania's 16.1% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.6%, 10.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Romania 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.

YearChange FromTo
2003 +212.5% 1.9% 5.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 8.2% 1.9% 14.2% 9
2010s 7.9% 4.1% 10.0% 8
2020s 16.0% 15.8% 16.1% 2

Countries ranked near Romania

  1. 31 Madagascar 16.5% compare
  2. 32 Mauritania 16.5% compare
  3. 33 Guatemala 16.5% compare
  4. 35 El Salvador 16.0% compare
  5. 36 Bahamas 15.8% compare
  6. 37 Mozambique 14.4% compare

See the full ranking of 169 places →

More education data for Romania

All data for Romania →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Romania?
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Romania was 16.1% 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 Romania?
The highest recorded value was 16.1% in 2023.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Romania?
The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2002.
How does Romania rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
Romania ranks 34th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Romania?
Over the last ten years it is up 130.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Romania 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.

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Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Romania. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-6/romania/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
169 places, 2,667 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release