Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in SDG: Southern Asia

SDG: Southern Asia: Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 59.60 million in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
59.60 million
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
6th
of 39 groups
All-time high
76.09 million
in 2002
All-time low
59.47 million
in 2024
Years of data
26
2000–2025

Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in SDG: Southern Asia, 2000–2025

020.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M2000201220252000: 75.0M2001: 75.5M2002: 76.1M2003: 75.9M2004: 75.0M2005: 73.0M2006: 70.2M2007: 67.2M2008: 65.3M2009: 64.0M2010: 63.3M2011: 62.9M2012: 62.4M2013: 62.2M2014: 62.4M2015: 62.3M2016: 61.9M2017: 61.2M2018: 60.5M2019: 60.1M2020: 59.9M2021: 59.6M2022: 59.7M2023: 59.5M2024: 59.5M2025: 59.6M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in SDG: Southern Asia is 59.60 million, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 4.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in SDG: Southern Asia peaked at 76.09 million in 2002 and was at its lowest, 59.47 million, in 2024.

SDG: Southern Asia ranks 6th of 39 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.

Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in SDG: Southern Asia, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (number) in SDG: Southern Asia, 2000 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2000 75.01 million
2001 75.51 million +0.7%
2002 76.09 million +0.8%
2003 75.93 million -0.2%
2004 74.99 million -1.2%
2005 72.99 million -2.7%
2006 70.19 million -3.8%
2007 67.24 million -4.2%
2008 65.27 million -2.9%
2009 63.98 million -2.0%
2010 63.26 million -1.1%
2011 62.94 million -0.5%
2012 62.41 million -0.8%
2013 62.23 million -0.3%
2014 62.35 million +0.2%
2015 62.28 million -0.1%
2016 61.85 million -0.7%
2017 61.24 million -1.0%
2018 60.48 million -1.2%
2019 60.15 million -0.5%
2020 59.94 million -0.3%
2021 59.64 million -0.5%
2022 59.66 million +0.0%
2023 59.48 million -0.3%
2024 59.47 million -0.0%
2025 59.60 million +0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 71.72 million 63.98 million 76.09 million 10
2010s 61.92 million 60.15 million 63.26 million 10
2020s 59.63 million 59.47 million 59.94 million 6

Countries ranked near SDG: Southern Asia

  1. 3 Indonesia 3.95 million compare
  2. 4 Bangladesh 3.88 million compare
  3. 5 Tanzania 2.43 million compare
  4. 6 Kenya 1.96 million compare
  5. 7 Egypt 1.96 million compare
  6. 8 Mexico 1.91 million compare
  7. 9 Niger 1.53 million compare

See the full ranking of 223 places →

More education data for SDG: Southern Asia

All data for SDG: Southern Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in SDG: Southern Asia?
Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in SDG: Southern Asia was 59.60 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in SDG: Southern Asia?
The highest recorded value was 76.09 million in 2002.
What is the lowest out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in SDG: Southern Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 59.47 million in 2024.
How does SDG: Southern Asia rank for out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
SDG: Southern Asia ranks 6th out of 39 groups with data for 2025.
Is out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes rising or falling in SDG: Southern Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this SDG: Southern Asia data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in SDG: Southern Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-youth-of-upper-secondary-school-age-both-sexes-number-2/sdg-southern-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
223 places, 4,159 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release