Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 2.8% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1970–2019
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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) is 2.8%, measured in 2019.
The figure is down 3.2% on the previous year and up 14.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 17.0% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 2007.
That places Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 35th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, 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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 17.0% | — |
| 1971 | 16.6% | -2.1% |
| 1972 | 16.1% | -3.4% |
| 1973 | 15.3% | -5.0% |
| 1974 | 14.7% | -3.9% |
| 1975 | 14.6% | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 13.8% | -5.1% |
| 1977 | 12.8% | -7.2% |
| 1978 | 12.2% | -4.7% |
| 1979 | 10.5% | -14.0% |
| 1980 | 10.0% | -4.7% |
| 1981 | 8.8% | -12.4% |
| 1982 | 8.5% | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 8.5% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 8.7% | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 8.2% | -5.6% |
| 1986 | 8.4% | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 8.4% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 8.8% | +4.3% |
| 1989 | 9.6% | +9.2% |
| 1990 | 9.1% | -5.1% |
| 1991 | 8.8% | -3.7% |
| 1992 | 8.0% | -8.7% |
| 1993 | 7.7% | -4.0% |
| 1994 | 8.2% | +7.5% |
| 1995 | 8.3% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 7.9% | -5.5% |
| 1997 | 8.6% | +9.6% |
| 1998 | 5.6% | -35.6% |
| 1999 | 4.3% | -23.3% |
| 2000 | 3.6% | -14.5% |
| 2001 | 3.5% | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 3.5% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 3.3% | -6.0% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | -16.6% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | +14.5% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | -26.9% |
| 2008 | 2.2% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 2.4% | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 2.7% | +12.1% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 3.3% | +10.0% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 3.0% | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 2.9% | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 2.8% | -3.2% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | -35.6% | 8.6% | 5.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.4% | 10.5% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.8% | 8.2% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.6% | 4.3% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.0% | 2.2% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
More education data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.22 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 62.34 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 60.53 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1513 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0936 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 22.3% (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 2.8% 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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 17.0% in 1970.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 2007.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 35th 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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 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
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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/