Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Ghana
Ghana: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 58.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Ghana, 1999–2024
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 Ghana is 58.1%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 73.3% on the previous year and up 33.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Ghana peaked at 67.4% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 28.1%, in 2020.
Ghana ranks 25th of 184 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 64.0% | — |
| 2000 | 63.8% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 64.9% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 63.8% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 67.4% | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 61.7% | -8.5% |
| 2006 | 53.7% | -13.0% |
| 2007 | 41.5% | -22.8% |
| 2008 | 41.4% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 42.8% | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 37.1% | -13.4% |
| 2014 | 43.5% | +17.4% |
| 2015 | 38.2% | -12.1% |
| 2016 | 38.6% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 39.3% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 34.7% | -11.5% |
| 2019 | 30.9% | -10.9% |
| 2020 | 28.1% | -9.1% |
| 2021 | 33.5% | +19.4% |
| 2024 | 58.1% | +73.3% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 58.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 37.6%, 1.5× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 58.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 55.3%, 1.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 64.0% | 64.0% | 64.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 55.7% | 41.4% | 67.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 37.5% | 30.9% | 43.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 39.9% | 28.1% | 58.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More education data for Ghana
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 174,414 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 39,902 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 949,095 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 913,117 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.6567 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1448 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Ghana?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Ghana was 58.1% 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 67.4% in 2003.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.1% in 2020.
- How does Ghana rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
- Ghana ranks 25th 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 Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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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About this data
February 2026 Data Release