Mozambique: Children out of school, primary, female

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Mozambique's children out of school, primary, female fell 38.4% on 2017 (from 222,299 to 136,850).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2017), the average change was −2.7% and a typical year strayed about 15.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 35.2% in 1987 and the biggest yearly fall was 38.4% in 2018. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 the straight-line trend is downward, about 9,571 a year. A straight line explains 54% of the movement over 9 observed 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 Mozambique in the 2018 ranking

• Indonesia — 1st of 4: 1.33 million
• Bangladesh — 2nd of 4: 189,119
• United Kingdom — 4th of 4: 6,273

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 33 values

Children out of school, primary, female in nearby economies

• Benin — 136,278 (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 659,756 (2024)
• Burundi — 309,603 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 14,764 (2022)
• Cameroon — 251,398 (2019)
• Chad — 519,892 (2024)
• Comoros — 10,666 (2024)
• Congo, Rep. — 84,011 (2023)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 337,596 (2024)
• Equatorial Guinea — 62,954 (2015)
• Eritrea

More education data for Mozambique

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 7.66 million (2022)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 119.16% (2022)
• Primary education, teachers — 133,644 (2022)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 116.09% (2022)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 122.22% (2022)
• 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 Mozambique's children out of school, primary, female?

136,850 in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1973?

It is down 68.84% from 439,141 in 1973 (2.56% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 975,066 in 1998 and the lowest 136,850 in 2018.

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

In 2018, Mozambique's children out of school, primary, female fell 38.4% on 2017 (from 222,299 to 136,850). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2017), the average change was −2.7% and a typical year strayed about 15.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

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.FE, 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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