Where the children outside school are
Behind every row of this table are children who are not yet in a classroom. Each of them could be learning to read, to count and to ask questions; each can be enrolled, and kept in school through the end of secondary school. This page shows where they are, so that the charities we fund are directed to the countries where the work reaches the most of them.
It covers 55 countries, each with at least 10% of its children and at least 100,000 children and youth of school age outside school, together about 182 million children and youth, 67% of the 273 million UNESCO counts worldwide. The rest are spread across countries below these thresholds or without a recent figure. For each country it gives the share of its children who are out of school, and how many children that is (the OOSC column), overall and at each level of schooling. Niger, first on the list, is where our first grants go.
The table
Click any column heading to sort by that column; the table opens sorted by overall share out of school, highest first. The two Rank columns stay with each country whatever the sort: they show where it stands on share and on OOSC. The levels are primary, lower secondary and upper secondary, each measured against the children of that level's official school age.
| Overall (primary to upper secondary) | Primary | Lower secondary | Upper secondary | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Region | Priority | Rank | Share | Rank | OOSC | Share | OOSC | Share | OOSC | Share | OOSC | Year |
| Niger | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tier 1 | 1 | 61.2% | 7 | 5,520,682 | 40.4% | 1,876,779 | 79.7% | 2,109,540 | 88.5% | 1,534,363 | 2024 |
| Mali | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tier 1 | 2 | 51.1% | 13 | 3,206,520 | 45.1% | 1,390,223 | 56.3% | 827,846 | 77.0% | 988,451 | 2018 |
| Burkina Faso | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tier 1 | 3 | 50.2% | 9 | 3,985,552 | 34.3% | 1,363,187 | 59.3% | 1,410,961 | 76.3% | 1,211,404 | 2024 |
| Senegal | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tier 1 | 4 | 48.6% | 16 | 2,783,145 | 24.5% | 675,615 | 63.9% | 1,119,352 | 81.1% | 988,178 | 2024 |
| Sudan | Northern Africa | Tier 1 | 5 | 48.1% | 6 | 6,034,344 | 43.8% | 3,169,356 | 35.4% | 784,827 | 67.4% | 2,080,161 | 2019 |
| Chad | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tier 1 | 6 | 45.4% | 14 | 3,044,362 | 24.8% | 855,041 | 58.6% | 1,141,456 | 80.0% | 1,047,865 | 2024 |
| Syrian Arab Republic | Western Asia | Tier 1 | 7 | 44.7% | 17 | 2,755,310 | 21.8% | 581,845 | 51.3% | 889,836 | 72.7% | 1,283,629 | 2024 |
| Liberia | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tier 2 | 8 | 41.6% | 34 | 676,654 | 38.3% | 327,280 | 44.4% | 178,441 | 46.3% | 170,933 | 2022 |
| Ethiopia | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tier 1 | 9 | 41.0% | 3 | 15,015,403 | 22.5% | 4,236,782 | 54.8% | 6,535,114 | 73.3% | 4,243,507 | 2024 |
| Burundi | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tier 1 | 10 | 40.9% | 21 | 2,064,456 | 26.5% | 661,724 | 37.1% | 441,528 | 70.6% | 961,204 | 2025 |
| Eritrea | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tier 2 | 11 | 40.7% | 44 | 426,786 | 40.4% | 179,166 | 37.1% | 97,997 | 43.8% | 149,623 | 2022 |
| Yemen | Western Asia | Tier 2 | 12 | 40.0% | 11 | 3,783,979 | 30.6% | 1,551,489 | 39.7% | 899,474 | 62.9% | 1,333,016 | 2016 |
| South Sudan | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tier 2 | 13 | 39.5% | 24 | 1,493,962 | 64.7% | 1,199,083 | — | — | — | — | 2024 |
| Honduras | Latin America and the Caribbean | Tier 2 | 14 | 37.8% | 32 | 895,181 | 26.6% | 346,452 | 44.3% | 284,267 | 62.1% | 264,462 | 2024 |
| Angola | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tier 2 | 15 | 36.3% | 8 | 4,082,541 | 36.8% | 2,281,912 | 21.9% | 585,750 | 51.4% | 1,214,879 | 2023 |
| Lesotho | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 16 | 36.2% | 49 | 229,618 | 32.2% | 124,175 | 32.3% | 49,170 | 58.4% | 56,273 | 2024 |
| United Republic of Tanzania | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tier 2 | 17 | 35.5% | 4 | 7,555,204 | 16.4% | 2,011,380 | 51.0% | 3,117,291 | 85.0% | 2,426,533 | 2024 |
| Gabon | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 18 | 34.6% | 51 | 199,627 | 28.8% | 77,438 | 35.8% | 65,368 | 45.7% | 56,821 | 2019 |
| Lebanon | Western Asia | — | 19 | 32.9% | 43 | 429,706 | 22.5% | 146,896 | 32.5% | 109,699 | 54.5% | 173,111 | 2024 |
| Lao People's Democratic Republic | South-eastern Asia | — | 20 | 32.3% | 36 | 596,028 | 10.4% | 82,273 | 36.3% | 219,436 | 65.7% | 294,319 | 2025 |
| Pakistan | Southern Asia | Tier 2 | 21 | 32.2% | 2 | 22,918,568 | 17.9% | 5,434,996 | 32.2% | 5,812,717 | 51.3% | 11,670,855 | 2024 |
| Benin | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 22 | 32.1% | 26 | 1,397,287 | 9.6% | 213,285 | 47.2% | 601,797 | 67.9% | 582,205 | 2022 |
| Mauritania | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 23 | 31.2% | 41 | 522,391 | 11.3% | 291,098 | 30.3% | 151,311 | 83.4% | — | 2024 |
| Algeria | Northern Africa | Tier 2 | 24 | 30.6% | 12 | 3,381,175 | 1.6% | 78,683 | 77.6% | 2,817,975 | 20.4% | 484,517 | 2025 |
| Madagascar | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 25 | 30.1% | 18 | 2,718,067 | 3.4% | 135,621 | 38.8% | 1,152,437 | 69.0% | 1,430,009 | 2024 |
| Cameroon | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 26 | 28.9% | 19 | 2,595,441 | 3.7% | 167,116 | 47.1% | 1,258,070 | 64.8% | 1,170,255 | 2023 |
| Guatemala | Latin America and the Caribbean | — | 27 | 28.2% | 27 | 1,315,867 | 8.4% | 201,342 | 32.4% | 370,838 | 65.6% | 743,687 | 2024 |
| El Salvador | Latin America and the Caribbean | — | 28 | 25.1% | 46 | 335,200 | 15.3% | 101,024 | 21.9% | 73,572 | 47.9% | 160,604 | 2024 |
| Ivory Coast | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 29 | 24.9% | 20 | 2,538,372 | 12.6% | 650,800 | 30.8% | 930,861 | 48.0% | 956,711 | 2024 |
| Papua New Guinea | Melanesia | — | 30 | 24.6% | 35 | 628,242 | 4.0% | 53,289 | 38.3% | 316,904 | 64.9% | 258,048 | 2021 |
| Kuwait | Western Asia | — | 31 | 22.2% | 54 | 158,553 | — | — | 22.9% | 54,594 | 26.6% | 41,426 | 2021 |
| Malawi | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 32 | 22.2% | 25 | 1,454,972 | — | — | 28.9% | 625,590 | 70.3% | 705,113 | 2023 |
| Gambia | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 33 | 22.0% | 52 | 182,904 | 16.9% | 74,577 | 14.3% | 29,017 | 42.7% | 79,310 | 2025 |
| Zimbabwe | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 34 | 21.7% | 29 | 1,197,571 | 10.5% | 332,314 | 12.9% | 111,684 | 50.2% | 753,573 | 2024 |
| Sierra Leone | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 35 | 20.7% | 42 | 515,865 | — | — | 24.0% | 135,033 | 50.7% | 354,555 | 2020 |
| Togo | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 36 | 19.7% | 37 | 580,036 | 0.6% | 9,263 | 27.1% | 242,271 | 55.3% | 328,502 | 2024 |
| Romania | Eastern Europe | — | 37 | 19.3% | 40 | 536,518 | 15.6% | 160,246 | 16.3% | 142,646 | 26.9% | 233,626 | 2023 |
| Malaysia | South-eastern Asia | — | 38 | 19.1% | 28 | 1,273,344 | 12.0% | 404,724 | 18.0% | 296,516 | 34.9% | 572,104 | 2024 |
| Zambia | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 39 | 18.9% | 30 | 1,195,164 | 3.5% | 136,539 | 12.4% | 126,121 | 65.6% | 932,504 | 2024 |
| Bangladesh | Southern Asia | Tier 2 | 40 | 18.3% | 5 | 7,144,375 | 5.9% | 918,575 | 23.9% | 2,343,623 | 28.5% | 3,882,177 | 2024 |
| Cambodia | South-eastern Asia | — | 41 | 18.2% | 33 | 739,680 | 3.7% | 76,741 | 17.6% | 175,265 | 48.9% | 487,674 | 2024 |
| India | Southern Asia | Tier 2 | 42 | 17.8% | 1 | 49,905,566 | 0.1% | 134,967 | 14.0% | 10,066,079 | 41.6% | 39,704,520 | 2025 |
| Paraguay | Latin America and the Caribbean | — | 43 | 17.2% | 48 | 260,017 | 13.3% | 105,859 | 15.4% | 56,541 | 27.6% | 97,617 | 2024 |
| Ghana | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 44 | 17.0% | 23 | 1,587,438 | 4.8% | 235,313 | 5.2% | 117,830 | 58.1% | 1,234,294 | 2024 |
| Mozambique | Sub-Saharan Africa | — | 45 | 16.3% | 22 | 1,653,043 | 1.0% | 64,247 | 28.0% | 644,653 | 67.0% | 944,143 | 2022 |
| Panama | Latin America and the Caribbean | — | 46 | 16.3% | 55 | 147,582 | 8.9% | 41,370 | 20.4% | 45,649 | 27.8% | 60,563 | 2023 |
| Nicaragua | Latin America and the Caribbean | — | 47 | 14.8% | 50 | 216,372 | 6.7% | 53,481 | 16.5% | 66,043 | 37.0% | 96,848 | 2023 |
| Philippines | South-eastern Asia | Tier 2 | 48 | 13.9% | 10 | 3,858,414 | 11.6% | 1,616,165 | 13.1% | 1,234,627 | 22.4% | 1,007,622 | 2024 |
| Dominican Republic | Latin America and the Caribbean | — | 49 | 12.6% | 47 | 286,902 | 4.9% | 56,334 | 9.8% | 55,861 | 31.1% | 174,707 | 2024 |
| Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | Latin America and the Caribbean | — | 50 | 12.4% | 45 | 360,268 | 9.3% | 136,027 | 8.1% | 39,279 | 19.4% | 184,962 | 2024 |
| Sri Lanka | Southern Asia | — | 51 | 12.2% | 38 | 563,961 | 9.1% | 157,499 | 6.5% | 93,497 | 21.5% | 312,965 | 2023 |
| Ukraine | Eastern Europe | — | 52 | 11.9% | 39 | 542,547 | 12.9% | 193,775 | 10.5% | 230,385 | 13.9% | 118,387 | 2024 |
| State of Palestine * | Western Asia | — | 53 | 11.3% | 53 | 173,263 | 9.6% | 53,793 | 6.0% | 38,162 | 24.1% | 81,308 | 2023 |
| Myanmar | South-eastern Asia | — | 54 | 10.7% | 31 | 1,051,548 | — | — | 10.6% | 377,979 | 36.1% | 672,545 | 2018 |
| Egypt | Northern Africa | — | 55 | 10.1% | 15 | 2,991,119 | 3.5% | 559,709 | 6.6% | 472,101 | 30.0% | 1,959,309 | 2024 |
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the national out-of-school series published by the Global Education Monitoring Report (UIS February 2026 data release). Latest year from 2015 to 2025 with overall figures; the level columns use the same year, "—" where UIS has no value. Shares are of the school-age population at each level; age bands differ by country. Left off the table: 130 countries with under 10% of children out of school or fewer than 100,000 out of school; and 12 with no overall figure from 2015 on.
How the priority tiers are set
Two measures decide priority: the share of a country's children who are out of school, and how many children that is. Where the share is highest, the fewest places in school are in place to enroll them, so the share sets the first tier.
- Tier 1 · 9 countries
- Share out of school in the top fifth of the 55 countries (at least 40.2%), and OOSC at or above the median of the listed countries (at least 1,273,344 children).
- Tier 2 · 12 countries
- Share out of school in the top quarter (at least 37.1%) or OOSC in the top quarter, without meeting both Tier 1 conditions. This tier includes the countries with the most children out of school at moderate shares.
As funding grows, the tiers set the order in which countries are added, Tier 1 first. Where we begin.