Gambia, The: Children out of school (% of primary school age)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Gambia, The's children out of school (% of primary school age) fell 1.94 percentage points on 2024 (from 18.85% to 16.91%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2024), the average change was −1.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.33 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 3.34 percentage points in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.47 percentage points in 1999. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.04 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 78% of the movement over 10 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 2025, Gambia, The had the 2nd highest value of the 12 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 Gambia, The in the 2025 ranking

• Burundi — 1st of 12: 26.47%
• Lao PDR — 3rd of 12: 10.36%
• Kazakhstan — 4th of 12: 7.91%
• Naoero — 5th of 12: 6.6%

What this measures

Children out of school are the percentage of primary-school-age children who are not enrolled in primary or secondary school. Children in the official primary age group that are in preprimary education should be considered out of 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 47 values

Children out of school (% of primary school age) in nearby economies

• Benin — 9.61% (2022)
• Botswana — 0.54% (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 34.29% (2024)
• Burundi — 26.47% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 41.84% (2022)
• Cameroon — 3.76% (2024)
• Chad — 24.8% (2024)
• Comoros — 20.65% (2024)
• Congo, Rep. — 17.08% (2023)
• Côte d'Ivoire

More education data for Gambia, The

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 442,901 (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 100.43% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 108.23% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 92.77% (2025)
• Primary education, teachers — 13,495 (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Gambia, The's children out of school (% of primary school age)?

16.91% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 64.94 percentage points from 81.85% in 1971. The highest value was 81.91% in 1972 and the lowest 16.91% in 2025.

How does Gambia, The rank?

2nd highest of 12 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in children out of school (% of primary school age) unusual for Gambia, The?

In 2025, Gambia, The's children out of school (% of primary school age) fell 1.94 percentage points on 2024 (from 18.85% to 16.91%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2024), the average change was −1.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.33 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below 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.PRM.UNER.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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