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Percentage of lower secondary school-age children not attending school (2025)

11/237 countries
Global9.5%Year-over-year+15.84%5-year change-10.60%
1971
2025
2025

Rankings at a glance

Top 10 · Percentage of lower secondary school-age children not attending school (2025)

Algeria leads the world in percentage of lower secondary school-age children not attending school at 77.57% in 2025, followed by Tokelau (61.63%) and Laos (36.27%). The Gambia (14.26%) and Kazakhstan (3.69%) close out the top 5. Next up, Kyrgyzstan (2.82%) and Nauru (2.78%). Uzbekistan (2.51%), Indonesia (1.9%), and Thailand (1%) round out the top ten. The gap across the top ten is wide: Algeria has 78× the value of Thailand (1%). Six of the top ten are in Asia, with three from South-Eastern Asia. Among these countries, Indonesia saw the largest year-over-year change at +426.2%.

Rank changes

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Frequently asked questions

Which country has the lowest percentage of lower secondary school-age children not attending school?
Nepal has the lowest percentage of lower secondary school-age children not attending school at 0.7% as of 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Which country has the highest percentage of lower secondary school-age children not attending school?
Algeria has the highest percentage of lower secondary school-age children not attending school at 77.6% as of 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the global percentage of lower secondary school-age children not attending school?
Weighted by population, the global percentage of lower secondary school-age children not attending school is 9.5% as of 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics · Updated