About 263 million children and youth are out of school worldwide, according to new data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. This is roughly the equivalent of the entire populations of Mexico and Russia combined. The total includes 61 million children of primary school age who are not in the classroom, and 60 million of lower secondary school age. For the first time, it also includes an estimate of those of upper secondary school age who are not in school: 142 million.
The UNESCO eAtlas of Out-of-School Children lets you explore the data through a series of interactive maps, charts and ranking tables, which can be easily adapted, exported and embedded on websites and blogs.
The UIS collects education data for more than 200 countries and territories through its annual survey and partnerships with organizations such as the OECD and Eurostat. Each year the Institute releases data on the number and characteristics of out-of-school children, which help to identify the most marginalised groups and benchmark progress towards national commitments. These figures are widely featured in major international publications and advocacy campaigns.
