Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Bhutan
Bhutan: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 20.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Bhutan, 1998–2024
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 sexes in Bhutan is 20.9%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 11.4% on the previous year and down 40.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Bhutan peaked at 69.7% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 18.0%, in 2021.
Bhutan ranks 85th of 184 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 69.7% | — |
| 1999 | 66.0% | -5.2% |
| 2000 | 63.9% | -3.2% |
| 2001 | 66.3% | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 56.2% | -15.3% |
| 2006 | 54.5% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 51.2% | -6.1% |
| 2009 | 48.2% | -6.0% |
| 2010 | 42.7% | -11.4% |
| 2011 | 40.0% | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 37.2% | -7.1% |
| 2013 | 37.8% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 35.0% | -7.5% |
| 2015 | 28.1% | -19.6% |
| 2016 | 29.1% | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 28.4% | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 27.8% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 18.0% | -35.1% |
| 2022 | 22.0% | +22.0% |
| 2023 | 23.6% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | 20.9% | -11.4% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 20.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 37.6%, 56% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 20.9% is below the median for South Asia, which is 25.0%, 84% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 67.9% | 66.0% | 69.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 56.7% | 48.2% | 66.3% | 6 |
| 2010s | 34.0% | 27.8% | 42.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 21.1% | 18.0% | 23.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 82 Azerbaijan 21.7% compare
- 83 Sri Lanka 21.5% compare
- 84 Marshall Islands 21.2% compare
- 86 Bahamas 20.8% compare
- 87 Algeria 20.4% compare
- 88 Turks and Caicos Islands 19.9% compare
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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Bhutan?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Bhutan was 20.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 69.7% in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.0% in 2021.
- How does Bhutan rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
- Bhutan ranks 85th out of 184 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.2%. 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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release