Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Kenya
Kenya: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 18.8% in 2012. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Kenya, 1999–2012
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Kenya is 18.8%, measured in 2012.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 69.4% on the previous year and down 37.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Kenya peaked at 38.4% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 9.6%, in 2007.
Kenya ranks 24th of 188 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 38.4% | — |
| 2000 | 35.7% | -7.1% |
| 2001 | 27.8% | -22.2% |
| 2002 | 30.2% | +8.7% |
| 2003 | 16.7% | -44.7% |
| 2004 | 18.6% | +11.3% |
| 2005 | 18.2% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 19.2% | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 9.6% | -50.0% |
| 2008 | 13.4% | +39.7% |
| 2009 | 11.1% | -17.5% |
| 2012 | 18.8% | +69.4% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 18.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.0%, 3.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 18.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.4%, 1.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 38.4% | 38.4% | 38.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 20.0% | 9.6% | 35.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.8% | 18.8% | 18.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More education data for Kenya
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 168,396 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 235,728 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.74 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 8.04 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.7181 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1453 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Kenya?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Kenya was 18.8% in 2012, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 38.4% in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.6% in 2007.
- How does Kenya rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Kenya ranks 24th out of 188 countries with data for 2012.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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 — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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/