United Arab Emirates: Children out of school (% of primary school age)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 0.21 percentage points from 0.21% in 2019. Since 1978 it is down 20.51 percentage points from 20.51% in 1978. The World Bank has no value for 16 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, United Arab Emirates' children out of school (% of primary school age) fell 0.17 percentage points on 2023 (from 0.18% to 0.00387%).

Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2023), the average change was −0.63 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.16 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 4.17 percentage points in 1983 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.87 percentage points in 1987. 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, United Arab Emirates had the 101st 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 United Arab Emirates in the 2024 ranking

• Poland — 98th of 101: 0.09%
• Korea, Rep. — 99th of 101: 0.06%
• Azerbaijan — 100th of 101: 0.03%

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 31 values

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

• Algeria — 1.57% (2025)
• Bahrain — 4.75% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 3.51% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 0.1% (2023)
• Israel — 2.66% (2024)
• Jordan — 1.89% (2024)
• Kuwait — 7.47% (2016)
• Lebanon — 22.51% (2024)
• Malta — 2.64% (2023)
• Morocco

More education data for United Arab Emirates

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 4 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 10 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 8 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils (% female) — 49.03% (2017)
• Pupil-teacher ratio, primary — 24.52 (2016)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 94.21% (2020)
• Primary education, pupils — 586,477 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 108.04% (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is United Arab Emirates's children out of school (% of primary school age)?

0.00387% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1978?

It is down 20.51 percentage points from 20.51% in 1978. The highest value was 26.98% in 1981 and the lowest 0.00341% in 2022.

How does United Arab Emirates rank?

101st highest of 101 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in children out of school (% of primary school age) unusual for United Arab Emirates?

In 2024, United Arab Emirates' children out of school (% of primary school age) fell 0.17 percentage points on 2023 (from 0.18% to 0.00387%). Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2023), the average change was −0.63 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.16 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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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