Bhutan: Adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age)

Key figures

Since 1998 it is down 41.87 percentage points from 51.96% in 1998. The World Bank has no value for 7 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Bhutan's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) fell 0.51 percentage points on 2023 (from 10.6% to 10.09%).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2023), the average change was −1.46 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.93 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above 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 1.63 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.44 percentage points in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.56 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 74% of the movement over 8 observed 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, Bhutan had the 30th highest value of the 90 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 Bhutan in the 2024 ranking

• St. Lucia — 27th of 90: 12.52%
• Tuvalu — 28th of 90: 12.21%
• Ukraine — 29th of 90: 10.49%
• Dominican Republic — 31st of 90: 9.8%
• Maldives — 32nd of 90: 9.46%
• Oman — 33rd of 90: 9.27%

What this measures

Adolescents out of school are the percentage of lower secondary school age adolescents who are not enrolled in school.

Limitations: The administrative data used in the calculation of the rate of out-of-school children are based on enrolment at a specific date which can bias the results by either counting enrolled children who never attend school or by omitting those who enroll after the reference date for reporting enrolment data. Furthermore, children who drop out of school after the reference date are not counted as out of school. Discrepancies between enrolment and population data from different sources can also result in over- or underestimates of the rate.

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

All 20 values

Adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 23.94% (2024)
• Maldives — 9.46% (2024)
• Sri Lanka — 6.53% (2023)

More education data for Bhutan

• 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) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 91,759 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 114.88% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 119.29% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 110.82% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.04 (2021)
• Primary education, pupils (% female)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Bhutan's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age)?

10.09% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1998?

It is down 41.87 percentage points from 51.96% in 1998. The highest value was 51.96% in 1998 and the lowest 10.09% in 2024.

How does Bhutan rank?

30th highest of 90 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) unusual for Bhutan?

In 2024, Bhutan's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) fell 0.51 percentage points on 2023 (from 10.6% to 10.09%). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2023), the average change was −1.46 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.93 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.UNER.LO.ZS, 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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