Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Eswatini
Eswatini: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 3.8% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Eswatini, 1970–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Eswatini recorded 3.8% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 54.8% on the previous year and down 69.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Eswatini peaked at 43.7% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 3.8%, in 2022.
That places Eswatini 103rd out of 203 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 43.7% | — |
| 1971 | 43.5% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 40.9% | -5.9% |
| 1973 | 37.1% | -9.2% |
| 1974 | 35.3% | -4.8% |
| 1975 | 32.3% | -8.5% |
| 1976 | 30.8% | -4.7% |
| 1977 | 29.1% | -5.7% |
| 1978 | 28.5% | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 27.6% | -3.3% |
| 1980 | 25.8% | -6.4% |
| 1981 | 23.5% | -9.0% |
| 1982 | 24.5% | +4.3% |
| 1983 | 26.3% | +7.4% |
| 1984 | 26.5% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 25.4% | -4.2% |
| 1986 | 27.0% | +6.3% |
| 1987 | 26.6% | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 27.0% | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 27.7% | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 26.1% | -5.8% |
| 1991 | 26.3% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 25.8% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 27.3% | +5.9% |
| 1994 | 26.7% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 25.1% | -6.0% |
| 1996 | 27.2% | +8.4% |
| 2009 | 19.9% | -26.7% |
| 2010 | 13.4% | -33.0% |
| 2011 | 8.3% | -38.2% |
| 2012 | 12.4% | +49.8% |
| 2013 | 14.7% | +19.1% |
| 2014 | 12.3% | -16.4% |
| 2015 | 11.5% | -6.3% |
| 2016 | 10.5% | -8.7% |
| 2017 | 11.2% | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 9.6% | -14.1% |
| 2019 | 8.5% | -12.2% |
| 2022 | 3.8% | -54.8% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 3.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.9%, 56% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 3.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.9%, 23% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Eswatini 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +49.8% | 8.3% | 12.4% |
| 2022 | -54.8% | 8.5% | 3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 34.9% | 27.6% | 43.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.0% | 23.5% | 27.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.3% | 25.1% | 27.3% | 7 |
| 2000s | 19.9% | 19.9% | 19.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 11.2% | 8.3% | 14.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
- 100 Papua New Guinea 4.0% compare
- 101 United States of America 4.0% compare
- 102 Dominica 4.0% compare
- 104 North Macedonia 3.8% compare
- 105 Cameroon 3.8% compare
- 106 Cambodia 3.7% compare
More education data for Eswatini
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7,225 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,165 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 12,768 (2015)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 11,269 (2015)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 108,288 (2016)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 222,351 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.236 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1807 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Eswatini?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Eswatini was 3.8% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 43.7% in 1970.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.8% in 2022.
- How does Eswatini rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Eswatini ranks 103rd out of 203 countries with data for 2022.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eswatini 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release