Saudi Arabia: Adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age)

Key figures

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.68 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.36 percentage points in 2014. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those 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, Saudi Arabia had the 81st highest value of the 90 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 Saudi Arabia in the 2024 ranking

• Norway — 78th of 90: 0.87%
• Samoa — 79th of 90: 0.79%
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 80th of 90: 0.68%
• Moldova — 82nd of 90: 0.52%
• Germany — 83rd of 90: 0.39%
• Sweden — 84th of 90: 0.39%

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 13 values

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

• Algeria — 77.57% (2025)
• Bahrain — 2.68% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 6.64% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 7.58% (2023)
• Israel — 2.15% (2024)
• Jordan — 1.97% (2024)
• Kuwait — 22.93% (2021)
• Lebanon — 32.49% (2024)
• Malta — 1.88% (2023)

More education data for Saudi Arabia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 83.88% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.01 (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, female (% gross) — 84.15% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, male (% gross) — 83.65% (2024)
• Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) — 48.05% (2024)

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

0.64% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1979?

It is down 36.74 percentage points from 37.38% in 1979. The highest value was 37.38% in 1979 and the lowest 0.08% in 2019.

How does Saudi Arabia rank?

81st highest of 90 economies with data for 2024.

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.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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