Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Bhutan
Bhutan: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 15.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Bhutan, 1998–2024
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 Bhutan is 15.5%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.
That represents a change of down 7.8% on the previous year and down 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Bhutan peaked at 43.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 15.5%, in 2024.
That places Bhutan 38th out of 169 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 43.3% | — |
| 1999 | 42.2% | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 41.0% | -3.0% |
| 2001 | 39.4% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 33.2% | -15.9% |
| 2006 | 30.0% | -9.4% |
| 2008 | 24.2% | -19.3% |
| 2009 | 22.5% | -7.1% |
| 2010 | 20.1% | -11.0% |
| 2011 | 18.3% | -9.0% |
| 2012 | 15.6% | -14.3% |
| 2013 | 16.8% | +7.6% |
| 2015 | 16.4% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 17.2% | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 17.6% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 16.6% | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 20.1% | +21.1% |
| 2022 | 16.6% | -17.1% |
| 2023 | 16.8% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 15.5% | -7.8% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 15.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.7%, 1.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 15.5% is above the median for South Asia, which is 8.8%, 1.8× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.8% | 42.2% | 43.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 31.7% | 22.5% | 41.0% | 6 |
| 2010s | 17.3% | 15.6% | 20.1% | 8 |
| 2020s | 17.2% | 15.5% | 20.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More education data for Bhutan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,995 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,961 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,905 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,735 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 67,821 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,759 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1159 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Bhutan?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Bhutan was 15.5% 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 43.3% in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.5% in 2024.
- How does Bhutan rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Bhutan ranks 38th 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 Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bhutan 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release