Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Bhutan
Bhutan: Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary was 58.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
58.5%
Change on year
up 26.3%
World rank
23rd
of 179 countries
All-time high
96.7%
in 1999
All-time low
46.4%
in 2022
Years of data
8
1998–2023
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Bhutan, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Bhutan stood at 58.5%.
That represents a change of up 26.3% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Bhutan peaked at 96.7% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 46.4%, in 2022.
Bhutan ranks 23rd of 179 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 96.4% | — |
| 1999 | 96.7% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 95.6% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 66.9% | -30.0% |
| 2020 | 57.9% | -13.4% |
| 2021 | 46.4% | -19.9% |
| 2022 | 46.4% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 58.5% | +26.3% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 58.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 34.1%, 1.7× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 58.5% is above the median for South Asia, which is 20.0%, 2.9× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 96.5% | 96.4% | 96.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 95.6% | 95.6% | 95.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 66.9% | 66.9% | 66.9% | 1 |
| 2020s | 52.3% | 46.4% | 58.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More education data for Bhutan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,995 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,961 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,905 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,735 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 67,821 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,759 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1159 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Bhutan?
- Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Bhutan was 58.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 96.7% in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.4% in 2022.
- How does Bhutan rank for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- Bhutan ranks 23rd out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release