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 16.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Gambia, 1971–2025
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 Gambia is 16.9%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 47 years on record.
That represents a change of down 10.3% on the previous year and down 42.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Gambia peaked at 81.9% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 16.9%, in 2025.
That places Gambia 34th out of 203 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 81.8% | — |
| 1972 | 81.9% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 80.7% | -1.5% |
| 1974 | 80.1% | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 79.0% | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 77.6% | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 74.2% | -4.5% |
| 1978 | 72.0% | -3.0% |
| 1979 | 68.4% | -5.0% |
| 1980 | 64.3% | -5.9% |
| 1981 | 57.2% | -11.0% |
| 1982 | 54.1% | -5.5% |
| 1983 | 51.5% | -4.7% |
| 1984 | 50.3% | -2.3% |
| 1985 | 48.0% | -4.6% |
| 1986 | 48.2% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 57.7% | +19.9% |
| 1992 | 59.9% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 57.3% | -4.3% |
| 1996 | 50.5% | -11.8% |
| 1998 | 48.8% | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 40.3% | -17.4% |
| 2000 | 42.9% | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 42.8% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 44.5% | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 41.3% | -7.1% |
| 2004 | 40.6% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 42.1% | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 37.7% | -10.5% |
| 2007 | 35.6% | -5.6% |
| 2008 | 38.9% | +9.4% |
| 2010 | 36.8% | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 38.0% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 35.1% | -7.5% |
| 2013 | 34.6% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 32.5% | -6.2% |
| 2015 | 29.5% | -9.3% |
| 2016 | 27.9% | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | -9.0% |
| 2018 | 23.6% | -6.7% |
| 2019 | 20.3% | -14.3% |
| 2020 | 18.4% | -9.0% |
| 2021 | 19.0% | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 18.8% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 18.8% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 18.8% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 16.9% | -10.3% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 16.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 30.5%, 55% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 16.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.9%, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 77.3% | 68.4% | 81.9% | 9 |
| 1980s | 53.4% | 48.0% | 64.3% | 7 |
| 1990s | 52.4% | 40.3% | 59.9% | 6 |
| 2000s | 40.7% | 35.6% | 44.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 30.4% | 20.3% | 38.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.5% | 16.9% | 19.0% | 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 16.9% 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 81.9% in 1972.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.9% in 2025.
- How does Gambia rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Gambia ranks 34th out of 203 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 42.6%. 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 (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release