Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 16.2% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Least developed countries, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Least developed countries stood at 16.2%. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 15.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Least developed countries peaked at 60.9% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 16.2%, in 2019.
Least developed countries ranks 9th of 45 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 60.4% | — |
| 1971 | 60.9% | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 58.0% | -4.8% |
| 1973 | 54.8% | -5.5% |
| 1974 | 54.9% | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 52.6% | -4.1% |
| 1976 | 50.8% | -3.4% |
| 1977 | 49.8% | -2.0% |
| 1978 | 48.7% | -2.3% |
| 1979 | 47.8% | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 46.5% | -2.7% |
| 1981 | 45.8% | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 46.6% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 46.2% | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 46.5% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 47.1% | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 47.1% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 47.6% | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 45.5% | -4.3% |
| 1989 | 45.9% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 46.7% | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 45.5% | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 45.6% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 45.5% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 44.7% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 43.4% | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 43.1% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 41.2% | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 41.0% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 41.1% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 38.8% | -5.6% |
| 2001 | 36.6% | -5.8% |
| 2002 | 33.4% | -8.7% |
| 2003 | 30.3% | -9.1% |
| 2004 | 28.0% | -7.8% |
| 2005 | 25.5% | -8.7% |
| 2006 | 23.3% | -8.6% |
| 2007 | 21.9% | -6.1% |
| 2008 | 19.7% | -10.2% |
| 2009 | 19.1% | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 19.4% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 18.4% | -5.4% |
| 2012 | 17.8% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 16.9% | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 16.7% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 17.1% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 16.8% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 16.6% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 16.3% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 16.2% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 53.9% | 47.8% | 60.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.5% | 45.5% | 47.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.8% | 41.0% | 46.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.7% | 19.1% | 38.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.2% | 16.2% | 19.4% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More education data for Least developed countries
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 4.43 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 75.92 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 171.01 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1441 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 57.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 38.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Least developed countries?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Least developed countries was 16.2% 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 Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 60.9% in 1971.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.2% in 2019.
- How does Least developed countries rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Least developed countries ranks 9th 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 Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed 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.
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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/