Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Ghana
Ghana: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 6.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
6.2%
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
18th
of 47 countries
All-time high
38.8%
in 2003
All-time low
6.1%
in 2023
Years of data
8
2003–2024
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Ghana, 2003–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Ghana stood at 6.2%.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and down 65.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Ghana peaked at 38.8% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 6.1%, in 2023.
Ghana ranks 18th of 47 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 38.8% | — |
| 2009 | 13.8% | -64.3% |
| 2011 | 27.0% | +95.0% |
| 2014 | 17.9% | -33.7% |
| 2018 | 6.5% | -63.5% |
| 2022 | 10.3% | +57.3% |
| 2023 | 6.1% | -40.4% |
| 2024 | 6.2% | +1.6% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 6.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.2%, 1.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 6.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.5%, 43% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 26.3% | 13.8% | 38.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 17.1% | 6.5% | 27.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 7.5% | 6.1% | 10.3% | 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 of primary school age, both sexes in Ghana?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Ghana was 6.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 38.8% in 2003.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.1% in 2023.
- How does Ghana rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Ghana ranks 18th out of 47 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 65.3%. 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 of primary school age, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release