Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Mali
Mali: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 34.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Mali, 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 Mali stood at 34.0%. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Mali peaked at 83.6% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 34.0%, in 2023.
Mali ranks 14th of 203 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Mali, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 83.6% | — |
| 1972 | 83.0% | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 82.6% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 80.2% | -2.9% |
| 1977 | 80.3% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 60.0% | -25.4% |
| 2002 | 52.3% | -12.8% |
| 2003 | 51.9% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 51.5% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 46.5% | -9.7% |
| 2006 | 45.3% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 43.3% | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 36.7% | -15.3% |
| 2010 | 35.9% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 35.2% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 37.5% | +6.4% |
| 2013 | 41.6% | +10.8% |
| 2014 | 40.8% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 43.4% | +6.4% |
| 2016 | 42.1% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 37.0% | -12.0% |
| 2018 | 45.1% | +21.8% |
| 2023 | 34.0% | -24.5% |
Mali compared with similar countries
- Mali's 34.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 30.5%, 1.1× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Mali's 34.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.9%, 2.0× 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 Mali 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | -25.4% | 80.3% | 60.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 82.0% | 80.2% | 83.6% | 5 |
| 1990s | 60.0% | 60.0% | 60.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 46.8% | 36.7% | 52.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 39.9% | 35.2% | 45.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 34.0% | 34.0% | 34.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mali
More education data for Mali
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 80,395 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 512,692 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 82,198 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 83,509 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.31 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.97 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.42 % change on previous year (2018)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1251 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Mali?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Mali was 34.0% 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 Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 83.6% in 1971.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.0% in 2023.
- How does Mali rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Mali ranks 14th 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 Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mali 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 — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release