Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Australia
Australia: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 0.4% in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Australia, 1971–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 0.4% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in 2018.
The figure is up 34.6% on the previous year and down 52.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Australia peaked at 5.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1978.
That places Australia 160th out of 188 countries with data for 2018, 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 Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3.5% | — |
| 1973 | 4.8% | +40.1% |
| 1974 | 5.5% | +13.0% |
| 1975 | 2.7% | -50.3% |
| 1976 | 1.7% | -37.7% |
| 1977 | 0.0% | -98.6% |
| 1978 | 0.0% | -30.9% |
| 1979 | 0.0% | +45.3% |
| 1980 | 0.0% | +98.1% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | +104.7% |
| 1982 | 0.9% | +866.1% |
| 1983 | 1.9% | +107.9% |
| 1984 | 3.7% | +96.0% |
| 1985 | 3.7% | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 3.0% | -18.5% |
| 1987 | 2.4% | -18.5% |
| 1988 | 1.8% | -27.8% |
| 1989 | 1.6% | -6.6% |
| 1990 | 2.0% | +23.9% |
| 1991 | 2.6% | +28.9% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | +8.9% |
| 1993 | 3.3% | +14.7% |
| 1994 | 3.6% | +9.3% |
| 1995 | 5.0% | +40.3% |
| 1996 | 4.6% | -8.1% |
| 1997 | 5.0% | +9.1% |
| 1998 | 5.1% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 5.5% | +7.2% |
| 2000 | 5.5% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | -69.2% |
| 2002 | 1.6% | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 2.5% | +52.6% |
| 2004 | 2.1% | -16.0% |
| 2005 | 1.4% | -36.0% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | -14.8% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | -14.0% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | -9.1% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | -23.6% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | -26.3% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | +358.4% |
| 2012 | 2.0% | -13.3% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | -97.0% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | +40.3% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 0.0% | -50.0% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | +621.2% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +34.6% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 0.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.1%, 40% of the median. (69 countries reporting)
- Australia's 0.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.8%, 23% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Australia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | +866.1% | 0.1% | 0.9% |
| 2017 | +621.2% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2011 | +358.4% | 0.5% | 2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.3% | 0.0% | 5.5% | 8 |
| 1980s | 1.9% | 0.0% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.9% | 2.0% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.9% | 0.7% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.0% | 2.3% | 9 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Australia?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Australia was 0.4% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1978.
- How does Australia rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Australia ranks 160th out of 188 countries with data for 2018.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia 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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About this data
The number of students of the official age for primary education is subtracted from the total population of the same age. The result is expressed as a percentage of the population of the official age for primary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/