Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Gambia
Gambia: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 16.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Gambia, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Gambia recorded 16.5% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 3.5% on the previous year and down 44.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Gambia peaked at 43.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 16.5%, in 2025.
Gambia ranks 43rd of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 43.9% | — |
| 2001 | 43.4% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 42.7% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 42.0% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 41.5% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 40.7% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 39.8% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 39.1% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 38.2% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 37.4% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 36.5% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 35.6% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 34.3% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 32.7% | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 31.1% | -4.9% |
| 2015 | 29.5% | -5.1% |
| 2016 | 27.7% | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 25.6% | -7.6% |
| 2018 | 23.6% | -7.8% |
| 2019 | 22.1% | -6.4% |
| 2020 | 20.8% | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 19.6% | -5.8% |
| 2022 | 18.5% | -5.6% |
| 2023 | 17.8% | -3.8% |
| 2024 | 17.1% | -3.9% |
| 2025 | 16.5% | -3.5% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 16.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 25.4%, 65% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 16.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.5%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.9% | 37.4% | 43.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.9% | 22.1% | 36.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.4% | 16.5% | 20.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More education data for Gambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,452 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 16,389 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 71,238 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77,061 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 369,783 (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 442,901 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1569 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Gambia?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Gambia was 16.5% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 43.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.5% in 2025.
- How does Gambia rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Gambia ranks 43rd out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gambia 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 (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release