Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary was 35.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Saudi Arabia, 2013–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Saudi Arabia stood at 35.6%. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is down 17.9% on the previous year and down 47.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Saudi Arabia peaked at 75.4% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 35.6%, in 2024.
That places Saudi Arabia 42nd out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 75.4% | — |
| 2014 | 68.4% | -9.4% |
| 2015 | 63.3% | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 62.7% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 61.2% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 60.9% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 57.4% | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 53.3% | -7.0% |
| 2021 | 64.0% | +20.0% |
| 2022 | 43.4% | -32.2% |
| 2024 | 35.6% | -17.9% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 35.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.8%, 7.4× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 35.6% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 30.2%, 1.2× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 64.2% | 57.4% | 75.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 49.1% | 35.6% | 64.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 39 Ethiopia 37.4% compare
- 40 Gambia 37.3% compare
- 41 Sierra Leone 37.2% compare
- 43 Liberia 34.8% compare
- 44 Papua New Guinea 34.7% compare
- 45 British Virgin Islands 34.3% compare
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Saudi Arabia?
- Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Saudi Arabia was 35.6% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 75.4% in 2013.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.6% in 2024.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 42nd 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 Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release