Norway: Children out of school, primary

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Norway's children out of school, primary rose 4.3% on 2023 (from 5,825 to 6,077).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2023), the average change was +7.9% and a typical year strayed about 26.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 58.1% in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 48% in 2008. 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 upward, about 381.73 a year. A straight line explains 89% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 7,050 for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 508.26, against 1,158 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Norway had the 60th highest value of the 101 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 Norway in the 2024 ranking

• Bhutan — 57th of 101: 8,385
• France — 58th of 101: 8,155
• Finland — 59th of 101: 6,433
• Bahrain — 61st of 101: 5,993
• Austria — 62nd of 101: 5,200
• Belize — 63rd of 101: 4,953

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 24 values

Children out of school, primary in nearby economies

• Albania — 617 (2024)
• Andorra — 102 (2024)
• Armenia — 1,710 (2024)
• Austria — 5,200 (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 152 (2024)
• Belarus — 20,600 (2024)
• Belgium — 13,226 (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 2,933 (2023)
• Bulgaria — 14,529 (2024)
• Croatia — 2,642 (2023)
• Cyprus — 247 (2023)

More education data for Norway

• 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) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 434,422 (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 469,508 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2020)
• School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.98 (2020)
• School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.95 (2020)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)

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 Norway's children out of school, primary?

6,077 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is up 168.06% from 2,267 in 2001 (4.38% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 6,077 in 2024 and the lowest 701 in 2008.

How does Norway rank?

60th highest of 101 economies with data for 2024.

Source

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