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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Colombia's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) rose 2.1 percentage points on 2021 (from 2.34% to 4.44%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2021), the average change was −0.49 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.58 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.6 standard deviations above 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 2.1 percentage points in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.91 percentage points in 2006. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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 Colombia in the 2022 ranking

• Mozambique — 3rd of 8: 27.98%
• Botswana — 4th of 8: 9.17%
• Eswatini — 5th of 8: 7.27%
• Venezuela, RB — 7th of 8: 1.14%
• Ireland — 8th of 8: 0.06%

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 18 values

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

• Argentina — 0.83% (2023)
• Barbados — 2.26% (2024)
• Belize — 7.14% (2024)
• Bolivia — 8.11% (2024)
• Brazil — 3.57% (2024)
• British Virgin Islands — 17.95% (2024)
• Cayman Islands — 3.32% (2024)
• Chile — 1% (2024)
• Costa Rica — 7.57% (2024)

More education data for Colombia

• 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) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 4.14 million (2022)
• Primary education, teachers — 180,781 (2022)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.97 (2020)
• Secondary education, pupils — 4.85 million (2022)
• Primary education, pupils (% female) — 48.13% (2018)
• Pupil-teacher ratio, primary — 23.3 (2018)

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 Colombia's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age)?

4.44% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2005?

It is down 5.7 percentage points from 10.14% in 2005. The highest value was 10.14% in 2005 and the lowest 0.9% in 2011.

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

In 2022, Colombia's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) rose 2.1 percentage points on 2021 (from 2.34% to 4.44%). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2021), the average change was −0.49 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.58 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.6 standard deviations above 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.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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