Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Nepal
Nepal: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 0.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Nepal, 1983–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 0.8% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in 2025.
The figure is down 62.5% on the previous year and down 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Nepal peaked at 42.8% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2021.
That places Nepal 166th out of 203 countries with data for 2025, 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 Nepal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 42.8% | — |
| 1984 | 41.4% | -3.4% |
| 1988 | 35.1% | -15.2% |
| 1999 | 36.5% | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 30.9% | -15.2% |
| 2003 | 23.5% | -24.0% |
| 2004 | 21.5% | -8.4% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | -92.1% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | -25.5% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | -17.8% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | -13.2% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | -51.7% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +200.6% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | -81.5% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | +159.3% |
| 2023 | 2.0% | +217.0% |
| 2024 | 2.0% | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 0.8% | -62.5% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 0.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.9%, 11% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 0.8% is below the median for South Asia, which is 3.4%, 22% of 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 Nepal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +217.0% | 0.6% | 2.0% |
| 2017 | +200.6% | 0.4% | 1.3% |
| 2022 | +159.3% | 0.2% | 0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.8% | 35.1% | 42.8% | 3 |
| 1990s | 36.5% | 36.5% | 36.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 25.3% | 21.5% | 30.9% | 3 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.4% | 1.7% | 6 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 0.2% | 2.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More education data for Nepal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 124,257 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 263,796 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 752,326 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 609,324 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1204 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Nepal?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Nepal was 0.8% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 42.8% in 1983.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2021.
- How does Nepal rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Nepal ranks 166th 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 Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal 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 — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release