Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both was 16.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sri Lanka, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sri Lanka is 16.9%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 6.1% on the previous year and down 44.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sri Lanka peaked at 36.8% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 16.9%, in 2025.
Sri Lanka ranks 107th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 32.5% | — |
| 2001 | 33.5% | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 35.2% | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 36.7% | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 36.8% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 35.7% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 33.8% | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 32.2% | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 32.1% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 31.9% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 31.8% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 32.0% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 32.5% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 33.0% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 32.6% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 30.6% | -6.1% |
| 2016 | 27.2% | -11.1% |
| 2017 | 23.4% | -14.0% |
| 2018 | 20.6% | -12.0% |
| 2019 | 19.6% | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 19.8% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 20.3% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 20.3% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 19.5% | -3.9% |
| 2024 | 18.0% | -7.7% |
| 2025 | 16.9% | -6.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 16.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 16.9%, 100% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 16.9% is below the median for South Asia, which is 24.5%, 69% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 34.0% | 31.9% | 36.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.3% | 19.6% | 33.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.1% | 16.9% | 20.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 104 Bosnia and Herzegovina 18.1% compare
- 105 Jordan 17.2% compare
- 106 China 17.0% compare
- 108 Azerbaijan 16.8% compare
- 109 Singapore 16.4% compare
- 110 Macau, China 16.3% compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sri Lanka?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sri Lanka was 16.9% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 36.8% in 2004.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.9% in 2025.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both?
- Sri Lanka ranks 107th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release