Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 21.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Sri Lanka, 2010–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 21.5% for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in 2023.
That represents a change of down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Sri Lanka peaked at 26.8% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 15.2%, in 2021.
That places Sri Lanka 83rd out of 184 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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 26.8% | — |
| 2011 | 25.6% | -4.7% |
| 2013 | 25.5% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 21.2% | -17.0% |
| 2016 | 22.7% | +7.5% |
| 2017 | 22.5% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 18.9% | -16.2% |
| 2021 | 15.2% | -19.5% |
| 2022 | 21.5% | +41.5% |
| 2023 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 21.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.6%, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 21.5% is below the median for South Asia, which is 25.0%, 86% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 23.3% | 18.9% | 26.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 19.4% | 15.2% | 21.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 80 Cook Islands 22.3% compare
- 81 Venezuela 22.0% compare
- 82 Azerbaijan 21.7% compare
- 84 Marshall Islands 21.2% compare
- 85 Bhutan 20.9% compare
- 86 Bahamas 20.8% 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 sexes in Sri Lanka?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Sri Lanka was 21.5% in 2023, 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 26.8% in 2010.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.2% in 2021.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
- Sri Lanka ranks 83rd out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. 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 (%). 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