Poland: Children out of school, primary

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Poland's children out of school, primary fell 25.7% on 2023 (from 1,874 to 1,392).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2023), the average change was +24.5% and a typical year strayed about 132.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 555.2% in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 98.6% in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2017 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 19,132 a year. A straight line explains 82% 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, Poland had the 80th 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 Poland in the 2024 ranking

• Armenia — 77th of 101: 1,710
• Kiribati — 78th of 101: 1,596
• Brunei Darussalam — 79th of 101: 1,438
• Korea, Rep. — 81st of 101: 1,383
• Vanuatu — 82nd of 101: 1,261
• British Virgin Islands — 83rd of 101: 1,080

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 22 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 Poland

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 4 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 8 (2025)
• Secondary education, pupils — 3.33 million (2024)
• Primary education, pupils — 1.6 million (2024)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 93.87% (2020)
• Persistence to last grade of primary, total (% of cohort) — 99.79% (2023)
• Repeaters, primary, total (% of total enrollment) — 1.06% (2017)
• Secondary education, general pupils

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 Poland's children out of school, primary?

1,392 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is down 95.23% from 29,178 in 2001 (12.39% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 114,695 in 2017 and the lowest 286 in 2022.

How does Poland rank?

80th highest of 101 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Poland's children out of school, primary fell 25.7% on 2023 (from 1,874 to 1,392). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2023), the average change was +24.5% and a typical year strayed about 132.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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, 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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