Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in World
World: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 8.0% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in World, 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 World stood at 8.0%. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in World peaked at 28.3% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 8.0%, in 2019.
That places World 18th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it 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 World, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 28.2% | — |
| 1971 | 28.3% | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 27.5% | -3.0% |
| 1973 | 25.3% | -8.0% |
| 1974 | 24.6% | -2.8% |
| 1975 | 23.4% | -4.6% |
| 1976 | 22.8% | -2.6% |
| 1977 | 22.8% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 23.8% | +4.5% |
| 1979 | 23.5% | -1.4% |
| 1980 | 22.3% | -4.9% |
| 1981 | 21.5% | -3.6% |
| 1982 | 21.1% | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 20.8% | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 20.6% | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 20.0% | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 19.2% | -3.9% |
| 1987 | 18.9% | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 18.2% | -3.5% |
| 1989 | 17.5% | -3.7% |
| 1990 | 17.6% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 17.4% | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 17.6% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 17.5% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 17.4% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 17.6% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 17.8% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 17.6% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 16.7% | -4.8% |
| 1999 | 15.7% | -6.1% |
| 2000 | 14.9% | -5.1% |
| 2001 | 14.5% | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 14.1% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 12.7% | -10.0% |
| 2004 | 11.5% | -9.5% |
| 2005 | 10.7% | -7.2% |
| 2006 | 10.4% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 9.1% | -13.2% |
| 2008 | 8.9% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 9.0% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 8.9% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 8.9% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8.6% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 8.3% | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 8.2% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 8.3% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 8.1% | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 8.0% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 8.1% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 8.0% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 25.0% | 22.8% | 28.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.0% | 17.5% | 22.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.3% | 15.7% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.6% | 8.9% | 14.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.3% | 8.0% | 8.9% | 10 |
Countries ranked near World
- 15 Guinea-Bissau 27.3% compare
- 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
More education data for World
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 651.68 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 780.85 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0959 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 65.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in World?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in World was 8.0% 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 28.3% in 1971.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 2019.
- How does World rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- World ranks 18th 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 World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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/