Bangladesh: Children out of school, primary

Key figures

Since 1970 it is down 81.85% from 5.06 million in 1970 (3.11% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 31 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Bangladesh's children out of school, primary fell 15.3% on 2023 (from 1.09 million to 918,575).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1977 to 2023), the average change was +2.2% and a typical year strayed about 10% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 23.7% in 1977 and the biggest yearly fall was 20.2% in 1988. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Bangladesh had the 6th highest value of the 101 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Bangladesh in the 2024 ranking

• Niger — 3rd of 101: 1.88 million
• Philippines — 4th of 101: 1.62 million
• Burkina Faso — 5th of 101: 1.36 million
• Chad — 7th of 101: 855,041
• Senegal — 8th of 101: 675,615
• Côte d'Ivoire — 9th of 101: 650,800

What this measures

Children out of school are the number of primary-school-age children not enrolled in primary or secondary school.

Limitations: Due to different data sources for enrollment and population data, the number may not capture the actual number of children not attending in primary school.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 24 values

Children out of school, primary in nearby economies

• Bhutan — 8,385 (2024)
• India — 134,967 (2025)
• Maldives — 417.77 (2024)
• Nepal — 21,146 (2025)
• Sri Lanka — 157,499 (2023)

More education data for Bangladesh

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 23.73% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.77 (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, female (% gross) — 20.79% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, male (% gross) — 26.95% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 15.07 million (2024)
• School enrollment, secondary (% gross)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Bangladesh's children out of school, primary?

918,575 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 81.85% from 5.06 million in 1970 (3.11% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 6.67 million in 1987 and the lowest 536,211 in 2017.

How does Bangladesh rank?

6th highest of 101 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in children out of school, primary unusual for Bangladesh?

In 2024, Bangladesh's children out of school, primary fell 15.3% on 2023 (from 1.09 million to 918,575). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1977 to 2023), the average change was +2.2% and a typical year strayed about 10% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.UNER, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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