Vanuatu: Adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age)

Key figures

Since 1989 it is down 38.08 percentage points from 44.23% in 1989. The World Bank has no value for 23 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Vanuatu's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) fell 1.09 percentage points on 2023 (from 7.23% to 6.15%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2023), the average change was −2.28 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.72 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 4.62 percentage points in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.08 percentage points in 2000. 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, Vanuatu had the 48th 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 Vanuatu in the 2024 ranking

• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 44th of 90: 6.64%
• Qatar — 45th of 90: 6.52%
• Kiribati — 46th of 90: 6.16%
• San Marino — 48th of 90: 5.99%
• Ghana — 49th of 90: 5.17%
• Serbia — 50th of 90: 4.57%

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

• Australia — 1.85% (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 3.31% (2024)
• Cambodia — 17.59% (2024)
• Fiji — 2.85% (2023)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 0.68% (2024)
• Indonesia — 1.9% (2025)
• Japan — 0.03% (2023)
• Kiribati — 6.16% (2024)
• Korea, Rep. — 2.9% (2024)

More education data for Vanuatu

• 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) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 56,048 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 112.49% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.98 (2020)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 110.56% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 114.31% (2024)
• Primary education, pupils (% female)

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

6.15% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1989?

It is down 38.08 percentage points from 44.23% in 1989. The highest value was 44.23% in 1989 and the lowest 2.61% in 2022.

How does Vanuatu rank?

48th highest of 90 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) unusual for Vanuatu?

In 2024, Vanuatu's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) fell 1.09 percentage points on 2023 (from 7.23% to 6.15%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2023), the average change was −2.28 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.72 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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.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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