Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Europe & Central Asia
Europe & Central Asia: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 2.1% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Europe & Central Asia, 1972–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Europe & Central Asia recorded 2.1% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in 2019.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and down 22.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 6.6% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2017.
That places Europe & Central Asia 39th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 48 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Europe & Central Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 6.2% | — |
| 1973 | 6.6% | +5.5% |
| 1974 | 6.6% | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 6.5% | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 6.2% | -4.2% |
| 1977 | 6.2% | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 6.1% | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 5.9% | -2.7% |
| 1980 | 5.9% | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 6.4% | +9.4% |
| 1982 | 6.4% | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 6.6% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 6.0% | -9.3% |
| 1985 | 6.0% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 5.4% | -9.5% |
| 1987 | 5.0% | -7.3% |
| 1988 | 4.5% | -9.9% |
| 1989 | 4.7% | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 4.6% | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 4.2% | -7.6% |
| 1992 | 4.4% | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 4.7% | +5.1% |
| 1994 | 4.8% | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 5.0% | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 4.4% | -11.6% |
| 1997 | 4.4% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 3.3% | -25.0% |
| 1999 | 3.1% | -6.1% |
| 2000 | 3.4% | +9.0% |
| 2001 | 3.0% | -9.8% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | -6.4% |
| 2003 | 2.6% | -7.5% |
| 2004 | 2.6% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 2.9% | +14.9% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 3.0% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 2.5% | -17.7% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | +11.4% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | -11.9% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | -11.6% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | +11.4% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | -11.1% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | +5.7% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | +2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.3% | 5.9% | 6.6% | 8 |
| 1980s | 5.7% | 4.5% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.3% | 3.1% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 2.5% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.4% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia
More education data for Europe & Central Asia
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0527 % change on previous year (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 83.79 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 52.35 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0564 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.2% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.3% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.52 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Europe & Central Asia?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Europe & Central Asia was 2.1% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.6% in 1983.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2017.
- How does Europe & Central Asia rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Europe & Central Asia ranks 39th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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/