Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Germany
Germany: Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary was 1.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Germany, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Germany stood at 1.6%. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 13.1% on the previous year and down 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Germany peaked at 13.3% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 2024.
That places Germany 155th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Germany, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 10.5% | — |
| 2002 | 12.0% | +14.9% |
| 2003 | 13.1% | +9.2% |
| 2004 | 13.3% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 11.4% | -14.1% |
| 2006 | 7.0% | -38.5% |
| 2007 | 5.2% | -26.2% |
| 2008 | 4.2% | -17.9% |
| 2009 | 3.6% | -14.9% |
| 2010 | 3.3% | -7.9% |
| 2011 | 2.2% | -32.7% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | -19.7% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 2.7% | +41.0% |
| 2017 | 2.4% | -13.1% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | +28.4% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | +8.1% |
| 2020 | 3.4% | +4.6% |
| 2021 | 3.9% | +14.2% |
| 2022 | 4.1% | +5.2% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | -54.5% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | -13.1% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 1.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.8%, 34% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Germany's 1.6% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.8%, 57% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.9% | 3.6% | 13.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 1.8% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 1.6% | 4.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 152 Liechtenstein 1.7% compare
- 153 Netherlands 1.7% compare
- 154 Turks and Caicos Islands 1.6% compare
- 156 Mongolia 1.6% compare
- 157 Spain 1.4% compare
- 158 Republic of Moldova 1.4% compare
More education data for Germany
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 618,670 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,242 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.35 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.27 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.97 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.31 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.83 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0396 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Germany?
- Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Germany was 1.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 13.3% in 2004.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 2024.
- How does Germany rank for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- Germany ranks 155th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Germany 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 — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release