Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Kenya
Kenya: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 14.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Kenya, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Kenya is 14.0%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 4.1% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Kenya peaked at 19.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 2012.
That places Kenya 55th out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 19.5% | — |
| 2001 | 18.2% | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 17.5% | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 16.6% | -5.1% |
| 2004 | 15.7% | -5.4% |
| 2005 | 14.8% | -5.7% |
| 2006 | 14.0% | -5.4% |
| 2007 | 13.2% | -5.7% |
| 2008 | 12.7% | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 12.5% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 12.3% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 11.9% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 11.8% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 12.0% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 12.6% | +5.0% |
| 2015 | 13.3% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 14.2% | +6.8% |
| 2017 | 15.0% | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 15.6% | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 16.0% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 16.1% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 15.9% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 15.6% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 15.1% | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 14.6% | -3.3% |
| 2025 | 14.0% | -4.1% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 14.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.6%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 14.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.5%, 85% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.5% | 12.5% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.5% | 11.8% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.2% | 14.0% | 16.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More education data for Kenya
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 168,396 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 235,728 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.74 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 8.04 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.7181 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1453 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Kenya?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Kenya was 14.0% 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 19.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 2012.
- How does Kenya rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Kenya ranks 55th 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 Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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