Share of children out of school — all countries

Share of children out of school — Western Europe

Share of children out of school in Western Europe in 2024 — 0.3%. Since 2001, the indicator has fallen by 1.51 pp.

2024 0.3% −0.05 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 2.77%2003
Period minimum 0.3%2024

Trend over time

2001–2024 · % of primary school-age children

Share of children out of school — Western Europe, 2001–202401232001200420072010201320162019202220242001: 1.8%2002: 2.72%2003: 2.77%2004: 2.71%2005: 0.93%2006: 1.01%2007: 0.91%2008: 1.03%2009: 1.24%2010: 1.2%2011: 0.62%2012: 0.77%2013: 0.85%2014: 1.35%2015: 0.77%2016: 1.01%2017: 0.59%2018: 0.5%2019: 0.56%2020: 0.6%2021: 0.74%2022: 0.94%2023: 0.34%2024: 0.3%
Change over the period: −1.51 pp Annual average: -0.07 pp
Share of children out of school — Western Europe, by year Western Europe All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 0.3 −0.05 pp
2023 0.34 −0.6 pp
2022 0.94 +0.19 pp
2021 0.74 +0.14 pp
2020 0.6 +0.05 pp
2019 0.56 +0.06 pp
2018 0.5 −0.09 pp
2017 0.59 −0.41 pp
2016 1.01 +0.24 pp
2015 0.77 −0.58 pp
2014 1.35 +0.49 pp
2013 0.85 +0.08 pp
2012 0.77 +0.15 pp
2011 0.62 −0.58 pp
2010 1.2 −0.04 pp
2009 1.24 +0.21 pp
2008 1.03 +0.12 pp
2007 0.91 −0.11 pp
2006 1.01 +0.09 pp
2005 0.93 −1.79 pp
2004 2.71 −0.05 pp
2003 2.77 +0.05 pp
2002 2.72 +0.92 pp
2001 1.8

About the indicator

The share of children of primary school age not attending school. Unlike the absolute count, the indicator speaks to the state of the education system in a country, and it shows that the task does not reduce to poverty: at comparable income the shares differ severalfold, and the highest values come from countries where schooling is obstructed by conflict or by a nomadic way of life.

Important: The aggregate is weighted by the number of children aged 0–14: total population is the wrong weight here — the share of children differs fourfold across countries.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), license CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.