Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Bhutan
Bhutan: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 10.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Bhutan, 1978–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bhutan recorded 10.5% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in 2024.
The figure is down 10.8% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Bhutan peaked at 78.0% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 5.5%, in 2020.
That places Bhutan 52nd out of 203 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 78.0% | — |
| 1979 | 75.3% | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 44.2% | -41.3% |
| 1999 | 43.3% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 41.1% | -5.1% |
| 2001 | 38.8% | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 28.7% | -26.1% |
| 2006 | 23.7% | -17.4% |
| 2008 | 16.8% | -29.3% |
| 2009 | 11.7% | -30.2% |
| 2010 | 9.4% | -19.5% |
| 2011 | 8.9% | -5.7% |
| 2012 | 7.6% | -14.4% |
| 2013 | 9.1% | +20.1% |
| 2015 | 10.8% | +18.7% |
| 2016 | 11.5% | +5.6% |
| 2017 | 11.7% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 9.4% | -19.5% |
| 2020 | 5.5% | -42.0% |
| 2021 | 16.1% | +194.8% |
| 2022 | 10.0% | -37.6% |
| 2023 | 11.8% | +17.2% |
| 2024 | 10.5% | -10.8% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 10.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.9%, 1.5× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 10.5% is above the median for South Asia, which is 3.4%, 3.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Bhutan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +194.8% | 5.5% | 16.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 76.7% | 75.3% | 78.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 43.8% | 43.3% | 44.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 26.8% | 11.7% | 41.1% | 6 |
| 2010s | 9.8% | 7.6% | 11.7% | 8 |
| 2020s | 10.8% | 5.5% | 16.1% | 5 |
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 of primary school age, both sexes in Bhutan?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Bhutan was 10.5% 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 78.0% in 1978.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.5% in 2020.
- How does Bhutan rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Bhutan ranks 52nd out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 of primary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release