Which countries have the highest rates of children not attending school?

Considering recent global education data spanning 2020 to 2023, which countries report the highest rates of children—specifically aged 6 to 14 years—completely excluded from formal education, neither enrolled nor attending school? Focus on regions where systemic barriers like conflict, poverty, or infrastructure gaps contribute to severe disparities, and prioritize figures from authoritative sources such as UNESCO, UNICEF, or the Global Education Monitoring Report.

Based on the most recent comprehensive data from UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics (UIS) and the Global Education Monitoring Report (2023 edition), the countries with the highest rates of children out of school (combining primary and lower secondary levels) are:

1. Somalia – 54.1%

   • Conflict, instability, drought, and limited infrastructure disrupt educational access. Poverty and lack of security prevent children, especially girls, from attending school.

2. South Sudan – 51.7%

   • Ongoing civil war, displacement, and intercommunal violence have decimated the education system. Only 30% of schools operate permanently, and security risks deter attendance.

3. Mauritania – 49.8%

   • Extreme poverty in rural areas, child labor in mining/agriculture, and cultural barriers (e.g., early marriage) keep children out of school. Nomadic communities face isolation from schools.

4. Eritrea – 45.3%

   • Mandatory military service (starting at age 18) indirectly affects school enrollment. Limited educational resources, poverty, and restrictions on civil society contribute to high exclusion rates.

5. Afghanistan – 44.9%

   • Under Taliban rule (2021–present), girls are barred from secondary education. Poverty, insecurity, and lack of schools in rural areas exacerbate exclusion, with 1.7 million girls banned from school.

6. Pakistan – 44.5%

   • Severe poverty, gender discrimination, and child labor in factories/farming drive non-enrollment. 23 million children—44% of primary-aged—lack access, with rates higher in rural Sindh and Balochistan.

7. Niger – 42.5%

   • Drought, food insecurity, and nomadic lifestyles disrupt schooling. Only 40% of children complete primary education, driven by early marriage (76% of girls marry before 18) and child marriage.

8. Nigeria – 38.9%

   • Insurgency (Boko Haram) in the Northeast and banditry in the Northwest have displaced 3.2 million children, destroying 1,100+ schools. Poverty and safety fears keep children out.

9. Burkina Faso – 37.5%

   • Jihadist attacks have forced 2.2 million children out of school, with 6,000+ schools closed. Herder-farmer conflicts also displace communities, limiting access.
10. Benin – 36.0%
    • Child trafficking for labor in Nigeria and artisanal mining leaves 500,000 children out of school. Rural poverty and lack of schools in the Ouémé and Mono departments drive exclusion.

Key Contextual Factors:

• Conflict/Instability: Countries like Afghanistan, Nigeria, and South Sudan face violence directly targeting schools, displacing communities.
• Poverty & Labor: In Mauritania, Pakistan, and Niger, child labor and economic pressures force children to work instead of attend school.
• Gender Inequality: In Afghanistan and Nigeria, cultural norms (e.g., child marriage, discriminatory policies) disproportionately exclude girls.
• Infrastructure Gaps: Remote regions in Somalia, Niger, and Burkina Faso lack schools, and humanitarian crises reduce access.
• Data Limitations: Statistics are estimates due to challenges in conflict zones, but figures reflect UIS country-level surveys and EMIS data.

Source: UNESCO UIS (2022–2023 data), UNICEF (2022), Global Education Monitoring Report (2023).