Share of population with no formal education in Mexico
Mexico: Share of population with no formal education was 3.3% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population with no formal education in Mexico, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population with no formal education in Mexico stood at 3.3%. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is down 31.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in Mexico peaked at 88.2% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2020.
Mexico ranks 51st of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population with no formal education in Mexico, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 88.2% | — |
| 1875 | 85.7% | -2.8% |
| 1880 | 82.8% | -3.4% |
| 1885 | 80.2% | -3.1% |
| 1890 | 77.8% | -3.0% |
| 1895 | 75.7% | -2.7% |
| 1900 | 73.6% | -2.8% |
| 1905 | 68.0% | -7.6% |
| 1910 | 62.6% | -7.9% |
| 1915 | 59.7% | -4.6% |
| 1920 | 63.4% | +6.2% |
| 1925 | 60.9% | -3.9% |
| 1930 | 59.0% | -3.1% |
| 1935 | 50.6% | -14.2% |
| 1940 | 42.7% | -15.6% |
| 1945 | 43.5% | +1.9% |
| 1950 | 45.3% | +4.1% |
| 1955 | 42.4% | -6.4% |
| 1960 | 39.7% | -6.4% |
| 1965 | 35.2% | -11.3% |
| 1970 | 30.7% | -12.8% |
| 1975 | 29.0% | -5.5% |
| 1980 | 25.9% | -10.7% |
| 1985 | 19.6% | -24.3% |
| 1990 | 14.2% | -27.6% |
| 1995 | 10.8% | -23.9% |
| 2000 | 7.9% | -26.9% |
| 2005 | 5.1% | -35.4% |
| 2010 | 4.8% | -5.9% |
| 2015 | 4.2% | -12.5% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | -21.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 87.0% | 85.7% | 88.2% | 2 |
| 1880s | 81.5% | 80.2% | 82.8% | 2 |
| 1890s | 76.8% | 75.7% | 77.8% | 2 |
| 1900s | 70.8% | 68.0% | 73.6% | 2 |
| 1910s | 61.2% | 59.7% | 62.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 62.1% | 60.9% | 63.4% | 2 |
| 1930s | 54.8% | 50.6% | 59.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 43.1% | 42.7% | 43.5% | 2 |
| 1950s | 43.8% | 42.4% | 45.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 37.5% | 35.2% | 39.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 29.9% | 29.0% | 30.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 22.8% | 19.6% | 25.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 12.5% | 10.8% | 14.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.5% | 5.1% | 7.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 4.2% | 4.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More education data for Mexico
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 13.99 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 3.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 571,832 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.6872 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 7.33 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 3.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 6.66 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.91 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.25 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -2.09 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in Mexico?
- Share of population with no formal education in Mexico was 3.3% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with no formal education recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 88.2% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2020.
- How does Mexico rank for share of population with no formal education?
- Mexico ranks 51st out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mexico data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.