Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest in Gambia
Gambia: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest was 26.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest in Gambia, 2006–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Gambia recorded 26.6% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 6.8% on the previous year and down 41.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest in Gambia peaked at 51.0% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 26.6%, in 2020.
That places Gambia 9th out of 36 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 51.0% | — |
| 2010 | 45.3% | -11.1% |
| 2013 | 32.7% | -27.9% |
| 2018 | 28.5% | -12.6% |
| 2020 | 26.6% | -6.8% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 26.6% is above the median for low income countries, which is 26.6%, 1.0× the median. (7 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 26.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 29.7%, 89% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 51.0% | 51.0% | 51.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 35.5% | 28.5% | 45.3% | 3 |
| 2020s | 26.6% | 26.6% | 26.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More education data for Gambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,452 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 16,389 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 71,238 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77,061 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 369,783 (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 442,901 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1569 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest in Gambia?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest in Gambia was 26.6% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 51.0% in 2006.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.6% in 2020.
- How does Gambia rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest?
- Gambia ranks 9th out of 36 countries with data for 2020.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gambia 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, poorest quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release