Benin: Children out of school, primary, male

Key figures

Over five years it is up 83.11% from 42,055 in 2017 (12.86% a year on average, compounded). Since 1984 it is down 43.63% from 136,605 in 1984 (1.5% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 16 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2022, Benin's children out of school, primary, male fell 23.9% on 2021 (from 101,191 to 77,007).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2021), the average change was +3.2% and a typical year strayed about 32.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 76.4% in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 54.5% in 2009. 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Benin in the 2022 ranking

• Liberia — 1st of 9: 169,711
• Colombia — 2nd of 9: 158,138
• Eritrea — 3rd of 9: 83,559
• Algeria — 5th of 9: 65,258
• Germany — 6th of 9: 36,131
• Korea, Rep. — 7th of 9: 13,881

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 23 values

Children out of school, primary, male in nearby economies

• Burkina Faso — 703,431 (2024)
• Burundi — 352,121 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 10,087 (2022)
• Cameroon — 55,869 (2019)
• Chad — 335,149 (2024)
• Comoros — 11,077 (2024)
• Congo, Rep. — 87,114 (2023)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 313,204 (2024)
• Equatorial Guinea — 65,892 (2015)
• Eritrea — 83,559 (2022)
• Eswatini

More education data for Benin

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 2.4 million (2022)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 108.04% (2022)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 103.91% (2022)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 112.06% (2022)
• Primary education, teachers — 59,742 (2022)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 10.24% (2022)

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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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Benin's children out of school, primary, male?

77,007 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1984?

It is down 43.63% from 136,605 in 1984 (1.5% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 233,812 in 1990 and the lowest 18,403 in 2011.

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

In 2022, Benin's children out of school, primary, male fell 23.9% on 2021 (from 101,191 to 77,007). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2021), the average change was +3.2% and a typical year strayed about 32.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.UNER.MA, 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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