Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Colombia
Colombia: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban was 9.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
9.5%
Change on year
up 6.7%
World rank
23rd
of 34 countries
All-time high
23.4%
in 2002
All-time low
8.9%
in 2022
Years of data
20
2002–2023
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Colombia, 2002–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Colombia recorded 9.5% for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.7% on the previous year and down 29.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Colombia peaked at 23.4% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 8.9%, in 2022.
Colombia ranks 23rd of 34 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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, urban in Colombia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 23.4% | — |
| 2003 | 21.2% | -9.4% |
| 2004 | 20.8% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 18.2% | -12.5% |
| 2008 | 14.3% | -21.4% |
| 2009 | 15.5% | +8.4% |
| 2010 | 15.2% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 13.9% | -8.5% |
| 2012 | 13.4% | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 13.4% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 13.5% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 10.4% | -23.2% |
| 2016 | 12.0% | +15.7% |
| 2017 | 10.9% | -9.2% |
| 2018 | 10.7% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 11.7% | +9.3% |
| 2020 | 11.4% | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 10.4% | -8.8% |
| 2022 | 8.9% | -14.4% |
| 2023 | 9.5% | +6.7% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 9.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 9.1%, 1.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 9.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 9.0%, 1.1× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.9% | 14.3% | 23.4% | 6 |
| 2010s | 12.5% | 10.4% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.1% | 8.9% | 11.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
- 20 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 13.9% compare
- 21 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 13.3% compare
- 22 Costa Rica 11.1% compare
- 24 Paraguay 9.1% compare
- 25 Egypt 9.0% compare
- 26 Ecuador 9.0% compare
More education data for Colombia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 190,940 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 234,939 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 963,182 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 937,684 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.85 million (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.14 million (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.2 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.08 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Colombia?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Colombia was 9.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 23.4% in 2002.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.9% in 2022.
- How does Colombia rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban?
- Colombia ranks 23rd out of 34 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Colombia 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, middle quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release