Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Tanzania
Tanzania: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 14.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
14.5%
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
52nd
of 206 countries
All-time high
28.8%
in 2000
All-time low
14.3%
in 2008
Years of data
26
2000–2025
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Tanzania, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Tanzania recorded 14.5% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in 2025.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 15.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Tanzania peaked at 28.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 14.3%, in 2008.
That places Tanzania 52nd out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 28.8% | — |
| 2001 | 25.4% | -11.8% |
| 2002 | 22.1% | -13.0% |
| 2003 | 19.3% | -12.7% |
| 2004 | 17.3% | -10.4% |
| 2005 | 15.8% | -8.7% |
| 2006 | 15.1% | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 14.5% | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 14.3% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 14.6% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 15.2% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 15.7% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 16.2% | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 16.5% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 16.8% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 17.2% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 17.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16.9% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 16.7% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 16.6% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 16.2% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 15.6% | -3.7% |
| 2022 | 15.1% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 14.9% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 14.7% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 14.5% | -1.4% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 14.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.6%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 14.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.5%, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.7% | 14.3% | 28.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.5% | 15.2% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.2% | 14.5% | 16.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
- 49 El Salvador 15.6% compare
- 50 Papua New Guinea 15.2% compare
- 51 Trinidad and Tobago 15.1% compare
- 53 Benin 14.3% compare
- 53 Uganda 14.3% compare
- 55 Kenya 14.0% compare
More education data for Tanzania
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 106,006 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 331,605 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 851,911 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 824,648 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.83 million (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 11.39 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.3307 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1661 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Tanzania?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Tanzania was 14.5% 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 28.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.3% in 2008.
- How does Tanzania rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Tanzania ranks 52nd 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 Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.
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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