Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in South Asia
South Asia: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 7.3% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in South Asia, 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 South Asia stood at 7.3%.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in South Asia peaked at 42.9% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 2018.
South Asia ranks 19th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 South Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 42.6% | — |
| 1971 | 42.9% | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 41.2% | -4.0% |
| 1973 | 37.8% | -8.3% |
| 1974 | 38.0% | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 36.8% | -3.3% |
| 1976 | 36.4% | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 34.7% | -4.5% |
| 1978 | 37.0% | +6.6% |
| 1979 | 36.9% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 36.0% | -2.6% |
| 1981 | 34.7% | -3.4% |
| 1982 | 34.7% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 33.1% | -4.4% |
| 1984 | 32.0% | -3.5% |
| 1985 | 31.9% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 30.4% | -4.7% |
| 1987 | 31.6% | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 29.3% | -7.2% |
| 1989 | 27.1% | -7.6% |
| 1990 | 26.9% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 26.7% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 26.1% | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 24.6% | -5.6% |
| 1994 | 23.4% | -5.1% |
| 1995 | 23.1% | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 22.9% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 22.8% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 23.5% | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 22.8% | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 21.1% | -7.6% |
| 2001 | 21.0% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 20.2% | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 16.0% | -20.8% |
| 2004 | 13.3% | -17.0% |
| 2005 | 11.4% | -14.3% |
| 2006 | 10.5% | -7.6% |
| 2007 | 8.6% | -18.4% |
| 2008 | 8.7% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 9.6% | +9.5% |
| 2010 | 9.1% | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 9.7% | +7.6% |
| 2012 | 8.8% | -9.5% |
| 2013 | 7.7% | -12.5% |
| 2014 | 7.2% | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 7.7% | +5.8% |
| 2016 | 7.2% | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 7.3% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 7.2% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 7.3% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 38.4% | 34.7% | 42.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 32.1% | 27.1% | 36.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.3% | 22.8% | 26.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.0% | 8.6% | 21.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.9% | 7.2% | 9.7% | 10 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
- 16 Chad 26.2% compare
- 17 Marshall Islands 25.9% compare
- 18 Senegal 25.7% compare
- 19 Bahamas 23.5% compare
- 20 Mauritania 23.1% compare
- 21 Puerto Rico 22.1% compare
- 22 Guinea 21.9% compare
More education data for South Asia
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 4.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.84 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.6% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 68.1% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0959 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 160.82 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 152.88 million (2024)
- Primary 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 South Asia?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in South Asia was 7.3% 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 42.9% in 1971.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 2018.
- How does South Asia rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- South Asia ranks 19th 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 South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South 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/