Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Kenya
Kenya: Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary was 9.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Kenya, 2001–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Kenya is 9.5%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 81.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Kenya peaked at 56.3% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 9.5%, in 2023.
That places Kenya 99th out of 175 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 52.8% | — |
| 2002 | 54.5% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 53.8% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 54.3% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 54.5% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 53.9% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 52.9% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 56.3% | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 52.6% | -6.5% |
| 2023 | 9.5% | -81.9% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 9.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 36.0%, 26% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 9.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.5%, 21% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 54.0% | 52.6% | 56.3% | 9 |
| 2020s | 9.5% | 9.5% | 9.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 96 Chile 10.3% compare
- 97 Uzbekistan 10.2% compare
- 98 Antigua and Barbuda 9.6% compare
- 100 Montserrat 9.5% compare
- 101 Tuvalu 9.2% compare
- 102 Thailand 9.0% compare
More education data for Kenya
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 168,396 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 235,728 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.74 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 8.04 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.7181 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1453 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Kenya?
- Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Kenya was 9.5% 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 56.3% in 2008.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.5% in 2023.
- How does Kenya rank for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- Kenya ranks 99th out of 175 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 81.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release