Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Iran
Iran: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 0.1% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Iran, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Iran stood at 0.1%. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of down 67.7% on the previous year and down 95.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Iran peaked at 42.8% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2023.
That places Iran 196th out of 203 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
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 Iran, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 42.8% | — |
| 1984 | 16.9% | -60.6% |
| 1985 | 17.0% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 16.8% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 17.1% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 16.2% | -4.8% |
| 1989 | 16.2% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 10.6% | -34.5% |
| 1992 | 7.9% | -25.3% |
| 1997 | 10.4% | +30.9% |
| 1999 | 17.0% | +63.9% |
| 2000 | 16.7% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | -83.0% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | -16.6% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -26.6% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -49.2% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | +27.6% |
| 2007 | 5.4% | +376.7% |
| 2009 | 4.7% | -13.2% |
| 2010 | 5.5% | +18.2% |
| 2011 | 4.8% | -12.5% |
| 2012 | 4.2% | -12.3% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -48.4% |
| 2014 | 4.0% | +81.8% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | -8.7% |
| 2017 | 2.6% | -24.2% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | -41.4% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | +17.8% |
| 2022 | 0.3% | -82.6% |
| 2023 | 0.1% | -67.7% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 0.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.9%, 3% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Iran's 0.1% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.0%, 3% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Iran 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +376.7% | 1.1% | 5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 42.8% | 42.8% | 42.8% | 1 |
| 1980s | 16.7% | 16.2% | 17.1% | 6 |
| 1990s | 11.5% | 7.9% | 17.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 4.5% | 0.9% | 16.7% | 8 |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 1.6% | 5.5% | 9 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.1% | 1.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More education data for Iran
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Iran?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Iran was 0.1% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 42.8% in 1971.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2023.
- How does Iran rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Iran ranks 196th out of 203 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 95.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iran 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 — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release