Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Kenya
Kenya: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban was 15.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
15.7%
Change on year
up 41.8%
World rank
28th
of 69 countries
All-time high
41.4%
in 2003
All-time low
8.8%
in 2019
Years of data
7
2003–2024
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Kenya, 2003–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 15.7% for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in 2024.
That represents a change of up 41.8% on the previous year and down 53.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Kenya peaked at 41.4% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 8.8%, in 2019.
That places Kenya 28th out of 69 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 41.4% | — |
| 2008 | 36.5% | -11.8% |
| 2014 | 33.8% | -7.3% |
| 2019 | 8.8% | -74.1% |
| 2021 | 9.3% | +6.7% |
| 2022 | 11.1% | +18.4% |
| 2024 | 15.7% | +41.8% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 15.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 33.6%, 47% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 15.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 36.2%, 43% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.9% | 36.5% | 41.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 21.3% | 8.8% | 33.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 12.0% | 9.3% | 15.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 25 Mexico 19.4% compare
- 26 Nepal 18.1% compare
- 27 Sierra Leone 17.7% compare
- 29 Jordan 15.5% compare
- 30 South Africa 15.4% compare
- 31 Democratic Republic of Congo 15.4% 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 youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Kenya?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Kenya was 15.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 41.4% in 2003.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.8% in 2019.
- How does Kenya rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban?
- Kenya ranks 28th out of 69 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 53.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya 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, urban, female (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release