Out-of-School Rates by Elementary School Age Range and Above

Key points

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest out-of-school rates at every age, and the most children and young people out of school, 97.4 million.
Southern Asia has almost as many out of school, 93.0 million, even though its rates are lower, because of its large population.
In every region the rate rises with age. Upper secondary age is always the highest, from 6.7% in Europe and Northern America to 57.5% in sub-Saharan Africa.
At primary (elementary) age the rates run from 1.7% in Europe and Northern America to 18.9% in sub-Saharan Africa.
The eight regional totals add up to about 258 million. UNESCO’s latest estimate is 273 million out of school worldwide in 2024 [2].

The out-of-school rates chart in text

Title: Out-of-School Rates by Region, Age Group, and Gender. Label: MakeoverMonday 2024Wk51. Subtitle: Hover over marks for detail. For each region the chart gives the total number out of school and the out-of-school rate for three school age groups. A dot plot shows separate rates for males (blue) and females (red), and the size of each mark shows the number of individuals. Regions are sorted by total out of school.

Region	Out of school (total)	Primary age	Lower secondary age	Upper secondary age
Sub-Saharan Africa	97.4M	18.9%	36.7%	57.5%
Southern Asia	93.0M	6.9%	15.2%	45.6%
Eastern and South-Eastern Asia	32.7M	3.3%	9.6%	20.4%
Northern Africa and Western Asia	17.1M	9.2%	14.0%	29.9%
Latin America and the Caribbean	12.0M	3.9%	7.3%	23.0%
Europe and Northern America	4.4M	1.7%	1.6%	6.7%
Central Asia	1.1M	2.0%	5.3%	26.8%
Oceania	0.7M	5.1%	5.5%	24.7%

The male and female dots are not labelled with values. Read from the plot, girls have a higher rate than boys in most rows, with the widest gaps in sub-Saharan Africa. The main exceptions are upper secondary age in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia and lower secondary age in Southern Asia, where boys are higher. In Europe and Northern America the male and female dots almost overlap. Source line: Data, data.world/makeovermonday/out-of-school-youths-and-adolescents.

What the school age ranges mean

The three age groups follow the international levels of schooling set by UNESCO’s International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). Primary education, the level called elementary school in the US, normally starts between the ages of 5 and 7. Lower secondary completes basic education. Upper secondary typically begins at age 15 or 16 [3].

The exact ages differ by country. UNESCO measures the out-of-school rate as a percentage of children and young people in the official age range for each level of education in their own country [2].

The global picture from UNESCO

UNESCO and its Global Education Monitoring Report estimate that 273 million children and young people were out of school in 2024. Of these, 79 million were of primary school age, 64 million of lower secondary age and 130 million of upper secondary age [2]. Upper secondary age therefore accounts for 48% of the total, which matches the chart’s pattern of the highest rates in the oldest group.

UNESCO also says about three quarters of out-of-school young people of upper secondary age live in Central and Southern Asia (46%) and sub-Saharan Africa (28%) [2]. Out-of-school numbers fell by 33% between 2000 and 2015, but by 2024 they had risen by 3% [2]. Globally there are more boys out of school than girls, 140 million against 133 million, a pattern UNESCO says began in 2007 [2]. The chart shows higher rates for girls in most regions, so the global count depends heavily on the large regions where boys are higher.

Notes on this infographic

The chart does not state the year of its data. The dataset was published for MakeoverMonday in week 51 of 2024. The data.world community that hosted it closed in July 2026, so the source link on the chart no longer leads to the data [4].
For Europe and Northern America the chart lists lower secondary age (1.6%) before primary age (1.7%), unlike every other region, probably because each region’s rows are sorted from lowest to highest rate.
The regional totals sum to about 258 million, below UNESCO’s 2024 estimate of 273 million [2]. The figures are likely from an earlier year, and UNESCO revises its model estimates.
UNESCO notes that its model may undercount out-of-school children in countries hit by conflict, by about 13 million in 2024 [2].
The image is a still of an interactive Tableau dashboard, so the hover details do not work in the picture.

Questions about school age ranges

What age group is elementary school?

Under UNESCO’s international classification, primary education, which the US calls elementary school, normally starts between ages 5 and 7 [3]. The exact age range is set by each country.

What ages are secondary school?

Secondary school comes after primary and is split into lower and upper secondary. Upper secondary typically begins at age 15 or 16 [3]. Official ages vary by country, and UNESCO measures out-of-school rates against each country’s own official age range [2].

Which region has the most children out of school?

Sub-Saharan Africa has the most children and young people out of school, 97.4 million, and the highest out-of-school rates at every age. Southern Asia is close behind with 93.0 million, despite lower rates, because of its large population. At upper secondary age the rate is 57.5% in sub-Saharan Africa and 45.6% in Southern Asia, against 6.7% in Europe and Northern America.

How many children are out of school worldwide?

UNESCO estimates that 273 million children and young people were out of school in 2024 [2]. Of these, 79 million were of primary school age, 64 million of lower secondary age and 130 million of upper secondary age [2]. More boys than girls are out of school, 140 million against 133 million [2]. UNESCO notes that its model may undercount children in countries hit by conflict, by about 13 million in 2024 [2].