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Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)
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Last update:
February 2008

Children out of school

UNICEF estimates that 93 million children of primary school age were not in school in 2006. Of these children, 48 million were girls and 45 million boys.

National and regional estimates for the number of children out of school are listed in the table below. To calculate these numbers, UNICEF first identified the primary school net enrolment rate (NER) or net attendance rate (NAR) in each country, relying mainly on enrolment data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and attendance data from MICS and DHS household surveys.

Next, regional averages of the NER or NAR were calculated, using each country’s population of primary school age as a weight. By applying the average NER or NAR to each region’s population of primary school age, the number of children in and out of school at the regional level can be calculated. The sum of the regional numbers yields the global number of children out of school.

The NER or NAR were also applied to the population of primary school age in each country to calculate national estimates of the number of children out of school. Because of missing data for some countries, the sum of the national values is slightly smaller than the sum of the regional values.

Main data sources:

  • Primary school net enrolment rate (NER): UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), Data Centre, June 2007.

  • Primary school net attendance rate (NAR): Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), 2000-2006.

  • Population: United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2006 Revision, 2007.

  • Official school ages: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), Data Centre, June 2007.

    • Children out of school

    Country Children of primary school age out of school (thousands), 2006 Official primary school age (years) Source of primary NER or NAR
    Male Female Total
    Afghanistan7911,2922,0827 to 12MICS 2003 (NAR)
    Albania76136 to 9UIS 2004 (NER)
    Algeria42841256 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Andorra6 to 11
    Angola4033978006 to 9MICS 2001 (NAR)
    Antigua and Barbuda5 to 11
    Argentina1732496 to 11UIS 2004 (NER)
    Armenia1127 to 9DHS 2005 (NAR)
    Australia3429635 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Austria74116 to 9UIS 2005 (NER)
    Azerbaijan4141816 to 9UIS 2005 (NER)
    Bahamas2135 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Bahrain1126 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Bangladesh1,9071,4043,3116 to 10MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Barbados0015 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Belarus1822406 to 9UIS 2005 (NER)
    Belgium5496 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Belize2125 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Benin2923806736 to 11DHS 2001 (NAR)
    Bhutan1316306 to 12Survey 2003 (NAR)
    Bolivia1531543066 to 11DHS 2003-04 (NAR)
    Bosnia and Herzegovina810186 to 9MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Botswana2424476 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Brazil3223316537 to 10UIS 2004 (NER)
    Brunei Darussalam2136 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Bulgaria99187 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Burkina Faso6047051,3097 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Burundi1821993817 to 12MICS 2005 (NAR)
    Cambodia2822495316 to 11DHS 2006 (NAR)
    Cameroon1982674656 to 11MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Canada83126 to 11UIS 2000 (NER)
    Cape Verde4486 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Central African Republic 1251622876 to 11MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Chad5336151,1486 to 11DHS 2004 (NAR)
    Chile79891676 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    China4074038107 to 11Non-UIS 2005 (NER)
    Colombia3052935986 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Comoros1323366 to 11Non-UIS 2005 (NER)
    Congo4338816 to 11DHS 2005 (NAR)
    Congo, Democratic Republic of the2,3522,6745,0266 to 11MICS 2001 (NAR)
    Cook Islands5 to 10
    Costa Rica2318416 to 11Non-UIS 2006 (NER)
    Côte d'Ivoire5096441,1536 to 11MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Croatia1212247 to 10UIS 2003 (NER)
    Cuba816236 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Cyprus6 to 11
    Czech Republic2115366 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Denmark118197 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Djibouti1214266 to 11MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Dominica5 to 11
    Dominican Republic83731566 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Ecuador2515406 to 11UIS 2004 (NER)
    Egypt1854166016 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    El Salvador3532677 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Equatorial Guinea57127 to 11UIS 2003 (NER)
    Eritrea931072007 to 11DHS 2002 (NAR)
    Estonia2247 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Ethiopia2,5292,4965,0257 to 10DHS 2005 (NAR)
    Fiji2246 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Finland4377 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    France2316396 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Gabon55116 to 11DHS 2000-01 (NAR)
    Gambia5148997 to 12MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Georgia1212236 to 11UIS 2004 (NER)
    Germany68571266 to 9UIS 2005 (NER)
    Ghana4334168496 to 11MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Greece3476 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Grenada1135 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Guatemala39851247 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Guinea3333737067 to 12DHS 2005 (NAR)
    Guinea-Bissau62651277 to 12MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Guyana2246 to 11MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Haiti3713337046 to 11DHS 2006 (NAR)
    Holy See
    Honduras1261072336 to 11DHS 2006 (NAR)
    Hungary2225467 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Iceland6 to 12
    India10,1569,19519,3516 to 10DHS 2006 (NAR)
    Indonesia3627741,1367 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Iran (Islamic Republic of)27932826 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Iraq1344305646 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Ireland98174 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Israel128196 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Italy1424376 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Jamaica5496 to 11MICS 2005 (NAR)
    Japan110116 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Jordan4486 to 11DHS 2002 (NAR)
    Kazakhstan711187 to 10MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Kenya6296051,2336 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Kiribati6 to 11
    Korea, Democratic People's Republic of6 to 9
    Korea, Republic of813206 to 11UIS 2006 (NER)
    Kuwait1415296 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Kyrgyzstan2014347 to 10MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Lao People's Democratic Republic54701246 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Latvia64107 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Lebanon1719366 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Lesotho2920496 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Liberia801302106 to 11UIS 2000 (NER)
    Libyan Arab Jamahiriya6 to 11
    Liechtenstein6 to 10
    Lithuania98177 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Luxembourg1126 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Madagascar3533086616 to 10DHS 2003-04 (NAR)
    Malawi1801523326 to 11MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Malaysia72731466 to 11UIS 2004 (NER)
    Maldives55106 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Mali4525641,0167 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Malta2245 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Marshall Islands6 to 11
    Mauritania67631306 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Mauritius3265 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Mexico1231342576 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Micronesia (Federated States of)6 to 11
    Moldova, Republic of1414287 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Monaco6 to 10
    Mongolia3257 to 10MICS 2005 (NAR)
    Montenegro0017 to 10MICS 2005 (NAR)
    Morocco2113025136 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Mozambique7428611,6036 to 12DHS 2003-04 (NAR)
    Myanmar3783307075 to 9MICS 2003 (NAR)
    Namibia58491076 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Nauru6 to 11
    Nepal1822884705 to 9Non-UIS 2005 (NER)
    Netherlands612186 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    New Zealand1235 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Nicaragua52561087 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Niger6427501,3927 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Nigeria3,4184,3457,7636 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Niue5 to 10
    Norway4486 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Occupied Palestinian Territory4848956 to 9UIS 2005 (NER)
    Oman4944926 to 11UIS 2006 (NER)
    Pakistan2,3003,9296,2295 to 9UIS 2005 (NER)
    Palau6 to 10
    Panama2466 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Papua New Guinea7 to 12
    Paraguay55511066 to 11UIS 2004 (NER)
    Peru65561216 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Philippines4362887246 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Poland5042927 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Portugal66126 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Qatar1136 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Romania3233647 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Russian Federation1651403067 to 9UIS 2005 (NER)
    Rwanda112972097 to 12DHS 2005 (NAR)
    Saint Kitts and Nevis5 to 11
    Saint Lucia0015 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Saint Vincent and Grenadines1125 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Samoa2135 to 10UIS 2004 (NER)
    San Marino6 to 10
    Sao Tome and Principe0017 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Saudi Arabia3793347136 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Senegal4003857857 to 12DHS 2005 (NAR)
    Serbia7 to 10
    Seychelles6 to 11
    Sierra Leone1391382776 to 11MICS 2005 (NAR)
    Singapore6 to 11
    Slovakia109196 to 9UIS 2005 (NER)
    Slovenia1126 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Solomon Islands1414286 to 11UIS 2003 (NER)
    Somalia6016301,2316 to 12MICS 2006 (NAR)
    South Africa4694539227 to 13UIS 2004 (NER)
    Spain213156 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Sri Lanka912215 to 9UIS 2004 (NER)
    Sudan1,2291,2692,4986 to 11MICS 2000 (NAR)
    Suriname2136 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Swaziland2120416 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Sweden1211247 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Switzerland1818367 to 12UIS 2005 (NER)
    Syrian Arab Republic28731016 to 9UIS 2002 (NER)
    Tajikistan 3840777 to 10MICS 2005 (NAR)
    Tanzania, United Republic of1,0558831,9397 to 13DHS 2004-05 (NAR)
    Thailand58551136 to 11MICS 2006 (NAR)
    The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia4497 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Timor-Leste2424486 to 11DHS 2003 (NAR)
    Togo841462306 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Tonga0015 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    Trinidad and Tobago2135 to 11MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Tunisia1814326 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Turkey3645328956 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Turkmenistan1237 to 9MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Tuvalu6 to 11
    Uganda5625891,1516 to 12DHS 2006 (NAR)
    Ukraine 3318526 to 9MICS 2005 (NAR)
    United Arab Emirates3940796 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    United Kingdom2627535 to 10UIS 2005 (NER)
    United States1,0778681,9456 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Uruguay1211236 to 11UIS 2004 (NER)
    Uzbekistan1467 to 10MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Vanuatu1126 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Venezuela (Bolivarian Rep. of)1541352896 to 11UIS 2005 (NER)
    Viet Nam2602384986 to 10MICS 2006 (NAR)
    Yemen2546869406 to 11UIS 2004 (NER)
    Zambia5184799977 to 13Survey 2004 (NAR)
    Zimbabwe2262124396 to 12UIS 2003 (NER)


    Regional Summaries Children of primary school age out of school (millions), 2006
    Male Female Total
    Sub-Saharan Africa19.721.641.2
    Eastern and Southern Africa8.88.617.4
    Western and Central Africa10.812.923.8
    Middle East and North Africa3.03.96.9
    South Asia15.316.231.5
    East Asia and Pacific2.42.65.0
    Latin America and Caribbean2.12.04.1
    Central and Eastern Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States0.80.91.7
    Industrialized countries1.51.22.7
    Developing countries43.047.190.1
    Least developed countries19.120.439.5
    World44.748.493.1