UIS · Out-of-School Rate, Lower Secondary Age
Out-of-school rate (lower secondary) by country
What share of lower-secondary-age adolescents are not in school at all?
Of the 116 countries compared in 2024, United Arab Emirates had the lowest reading, 0.0112%, and Niger had the highest reading, 79.7080%. In the middle country the figure was 6.3430%.
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Part ofEducation & Knowledge
Out-of-school rate (lower secondary) · 2024
Context statistic
Lowest of 116United Arab Emirates
0.0112%012024 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the lowest end of 116 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: Simon Koopmann derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 2.0 de, greyscale
3Photo: Tobi 87 derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Highest in 2024
Niger79.7080%
Senegal63.9022%
Burkina Faso59.3093%
Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Lowest on each continent
- Africa
Algeria0.5151% - Americas
Peru0.1748% - AsiaUnited Arab Emirates0.0112%
- Europe
Switzerland0.1071% - Oceania
Samoa0.7924% - Every region
02Every measured country
Out-of-school rate (lower secondary) on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a lower value — the better end.
- 22.4180–79.7080%
- 8.3392–21.8712%
- 3.8558–8.1090%
- 1.6969–3.7847%
- 0.0112–1.5854%
- No reading in 2024 (80 measured in an earlier edition)
- Europe
1.3393%
the middle country, of 23 measured · 49 members
Switzerland0.1071%
Ukraine10.4869%Lowest and highest reading in Europe.
- Asia
4.5701%
the middle country, of 33 measured · 52 members
United Arab Emirates0.0112%
Syria51.3087%Lowest and highest reading in Asia.
- Oceania
6.1454%
the middle country, of 13 measured · 21 members
Samoa0.7924%
Marshall Islands24.4741%Lowest and highest reading in Oceania.
- Americas
9.4645%
the middle country, of 22 measured · 48 members
Peru0.1748%
Honduras44.3355%Lowest and highest reading in Americas.
- Africa
25.3275%
the middle country, of 25 measured · 55 members
Algeria0.5151%Niger79.7080%Lowest and highest reading in Africa.
- Every region
21 sub-regions, lowest middle country first
- Western Europe
0.3945%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 9 members
Switzerland0.1071%
Luxembourg1.6969%Lowest and highest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
1.0680%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 13 members
Lithuania0.1205%
Latvia2.8398%Lowest and highest reading in Northern Europe.
- Western Asia
2.9463%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 19 members
United Arab Emirates0.0112%Syria51.3087%Lowest and highest reading in Western Asia.
- Eastern Europe
3.0531%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 10 members
Poland0.1510%Ukraine10.4869%Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Europe.
- South America
5.8406%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 12 members
Peru0.1748%
Suriname39.6359%Lowest and highest reading in South America.
- Micronesia
6.1648%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 7 members
Nauru3.8558%Marshall Islands24.4741%Lowest and highest reading in Micronesia.
- Polynesia
6.9409%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 7 members
Samoa0.7924%
Tuvalu12.2147%Lowest and highest reading in Polynesia.
- South-eastern Asia
8.2203%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 11 members
Indonesia0.3601%
Laos35.6757%Lowest and highest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Caribbean
11.1588%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 24 members
Trinidad and Tobago1.7738%
Curaçao23.1445%Lowest and highest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Asia
12.5741%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 9 members
Nepal4.5701%
Pakistan32.2121%Lowest and highest reading in Southern Asia.
- Central America
15.4995%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 8 members
Belize7.1421%Honduras44.3355%Lowest and highest reading in Central America.
- Eastern Africa
19.1547%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 19 members
Seychelles3.9153%
Ethiopia54.7708%Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Western Africa
30.3438%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 16 members
Sierra Leone3.7847%Niger79.7080%Lowest and highest reading in Western Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia1.8520%
New Zealand2.3566%Lowest and highest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Central Asia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan3.0016%
Kyrgyzstan7.7831%Lowest and highest reading in Central Asia.
- Eastern Asia
3 of 8 measured — too few for a middle: Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea.
Hong Kong0.6803%
Macau8.3392%Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Melanesia
1 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Vanuatu.
Vanuatu6.1454%Lowest and highest reading in Melanesia.
- Middle Africa
1 of 9 measured — too few for a middle: Chad.
Chad58.6245%Lowest and highest reading in Middle Africa.
- Northern Africa
3 of 6 measured — too few for a middle: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco.
Algeria0.5151%
Egypt6.6426%Lowest and highest reading in Northern Africa.
- Southern Africa
2 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Lesotho, Namibia.
Namibia1.3491%
Lesotho32.2888%Lowest and highest reading in Southern Africa.
- Southern Europe
4 of 17 measured — too few for a middle: Andorra, San Marino, Serbia, Spain.
Spain1.7852%
Andorra7.3733%Lowest and highest reading in Southern Europe.
03The whole field at once
The spread
116 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 6.3430%; a quarter are above 15.7165%, and a quarter below 2.1328%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
Log scale: each gridline is ten times the one before, so countries of very different sizes can be seen on one line.
04All 196 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first — position 1 is the highest value, the way UIS’s own tables read. “=” marks a position shared with another country. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. An adolescent who is still in primary school counts as in school, so a low rate here can sit beside many pupils held back a grade or more; the completion rates show that side. Roughly a third of the underlying figures are estimates by UNESCO or national authorities rather than direct counts.
Showing 25 of 196 countries
Values for 2024. The change column compares 2024 with 2023 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051999–2024 · 26 editions
Over time
Each point is one edition. The series starts in 1999, the first year enough countries reported, and the newest year is usually thinner than the one before it because countries are still reporting.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 116 | 6.3430% | 2.1328% – 15.7165% |
| 2023 | 145 | 5.4054% | 1.4748% – 14.4226% |
| 2022 | 147 | 4.7709% | 1.3208% – 12.8729% |
| 2021 | 147 | 5.0127% | 1.5842% – 14.0193% |
| 2020 | 143 | 5.1330% | 1.4537% – 13.3226% |
| 2019 | 138 | 4.5266% | 1.3963% – 13.8269% |
| 2018 | 134 | 4.7004% | 1.4609% – 13.6109% |
| 2017 | 134 | 5.1897% | 1.5354% – 16.3390% |
| 2016 | 134 | 5.5975% | 1.9816% – 14.0010% |
| 2015 | 137 | 4.6717% | 1.5858% – 13.0854% |
| 2014 | 132 | 5.0853% | 1.4968% – 13.7067% |
| 2013 | 121 | 4.4619% | 1.6047% – 13.3792% |
| 2012 | 113 | 6.6782% | 1.7359% – 13.4137% |
| 2011 | 111 | 7.4811% | 1.8805% – 13.4394% |
| 2010 | 104 | 6.5874% | 1.8991% – 14.6919% |
| 2009 | 94 | 5.7798% | 2.2407% – 12.9428% |
| 2008 | 86 | 5.4119% | 1.6286% – 13.7816% |
| 2007 | 88 | 4.9730% | 1.5135% – 13.0072% |
| 2006 | 88 | 5.9351% | 1.5041% – 13.4244% |
| 2005 | 96 | 6.4047% | 1.2596% – 15.0932% |
| 2004 | 91 | 8.2209% | 1.5259% – 17.3410% |
| 2003 | 83 | 6.9071% | 1.9188% – 19.2974% |
| 2002 | 93 | 7.0549% | 1.5945% – 15.7652% |
| 2001 | 87 | 10.7215% | 2.3413% – 25.7007% |
| 2000 | 66 | 15.0231% | 6.4116% – 29.4394% |
| 1999 | 60 | 20.3089% | 9.2587% – 32.9310% |
062023 → 2024
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after- Nauru9.6238% → 3.8558% · 49th → 70th−5.7680
British Virgin Islands23.4681% → 17.9469% · 24th → 27th−5.5212
Guatemala37.3746% → 32.3807% · 11th → 13th−4.9939- Indonesia5.0900% → 0.3601% · 74th → 110th−4.7299
- Sierra Leone8.5098% → 3.7847% · 54th → 71st−4.7251
Worsened most
before → after- Curaçao0.0274% → 23.1445% · 144th → 23rd+23.1171
- Marshall Islands3.2918% → 24.4741% · 84th → 21st+21.1823
Niue2.3846% → 12.0704% · 89th → 40th+9.6858- Suriname31.1036% → 39.6359% · 17th → 9th+8.5323
Tonga0.4227% → 6.9409% · 129th → 55th+6.5182
104 countries were measured in both 2023 and 2024. The field changed from 145 to 116 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
Out-of-school rate (lower secondary) in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
88.3763%
Out-of-school rate, lower secondary age (%)
Lowest reading on record
0.0003%
Out-of-school rate, lower secondary age (%)
Biggest improvement between editions
−36.9917
82.4621% → 45.4704%
Biggest decline between editions
+58.1999
8.0732% → 66.2731%
Most improved since first measured
−68.3876
85.9800% → 17.5924%
At the top most often
3 countries share this record — no holder is named
3 of 26
editions
08By sex
Inside the number
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) also publishes separate female and male readings. The gap between them, where both exist.
Of the 96 countries with both readings, the female reading is higher in 33, the male reading in 63. The widest gaps each way:
09The measure
About out-of-school rate (lower secondary)
The lower-secondary out-of-school rate is the share of adolescents of lower-secondary school age — typically about 12 to 15 — who are in no school at all, primary or secondary. It is the age at which drop-out starts to bite, so it often reads very differently from the rate for younger children.
What the number is: Out-of-school rate, lower secondary age (%).
What it does not measure
It counts whether adolescents are enrolled anywhere, not whether they attend or learn; a teenager still in primary school counts as in school.
10Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Education & Knowledge, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where out-of-school rate (lower secondary) is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Out-of-School Rate, PrimaryKeyUIS · 110 countries in commonρ 0.72
- Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 97 countries in commonρ 0.71
- Stillbirth RateUN IGME · 111 countries in commonρ 0.70
Moves against
Where out-of-school rate (lower secondary) is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Secondary School EnrolmentUIS · 95 countries in commonρ −0.80
- Expected Years of SchoolingUNDP Human Development Report Office · 109 countries in commonρ −0.76
- Frontier Technology Readiness IndexUNCTAD · 95 countries in commonρ −0.74
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 283 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
11Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
12Questions
Out-of-school rate (lower secondary): questions and answers
Which country has the lowest out-of-school rate (lower secondary)?
United Arab Emirates, at 0.0112%, among the 116 countries compared in 2024.
Which country has the highest out-of-school rate (lower secondary)?
Niger, at 79.7080%, among the 116 countries compared in 2024.
How many countries does the Out-of-School Rate, Lower Secondary Age cover?
116 in 2024, and 196 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 60 to 147 between editions.
What is the world average out-of-school rate (lower secondary)?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 116 compared in 2024, the figure was 6.3430%.
Is this UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)’s own ranking?
No. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Out-of-School Rate, Lower Secondary Age published?
This site holds 26 editions, describing 1999 to 2024.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (ROFST.2.CP). Editions reporting fewer than 50 countries are not written, which drops every year before 1999 and the newest stub year. Female and male rates are stored beside the headline. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
13Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Out-of-School Rate, Lower Secondary Age — UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
From the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (ROFST.2.CP). Editions reporting fewer than 50 countries are not written, which drops every year before 1999 and the newest stub year. Female and male rates are stored beside the headline.
Newest edition
Report year 2024Data year 2024
Cite the source as: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. UIS Data Browser. Montreal: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- United Arab Emirates — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Switzerland — Simon Koopmann derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
- France — Tobi 87 derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Out-of-school rate (lower secondary) by country: Out-of-School Rate, Lower Secondary Age, data from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/out-of-school-rate-lower-secondary