Children out of school, primary in India

India: Children out of school, primary was 134,967 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
134,967
Change on year
up 12.7%
World rank
51st
of 197 countries
All-time high
28.44 million
in 1971
All-time low
119,749
in 2024
Years of data
23
1971–2025

Children out of school, primary in India, 1971–2025

010.0M20.0M30.0M1971199820251971: 28.4M1990: 25.1M2000: 13.9M2001: 16.1M2002: 16.5M2003: 10.7M2007: 1.1M2008: 513.7k2009: 2.2M2010: 1.4M2011: 3.4M2012: 864.4k2013: 532.7k2016: 5.0M2017: 7.3M2018: 7.7M2019: 8.9M2020: 4.9M2021: 2.8M2022: 180.7k2023: 1.7M2024: 119.7k2025: 135.0k

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

The most recent figure for children out of school, primary in India is 134,967, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.7% on the previous year and down 97.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, children out of school, primary in India peaked at 28.44 million in 1971 and was at its lowest, 119,749, in 2024.

That places India 51st out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 28.44 million 28.44 million 28.44 million 1
1990s 25.05 million 25.05 million 25.05 million 1
2000s 8.72 million 513,722 16.54 million 7
2010s 4.40 million 532,655 8.89 million 8
2020s 1.63 million 119,749 4.87 million 6

Countries ranked near India

  1. 48 Zambia 136,539 compare
  2. 49 Bolivia 136,027 compare
  3. 50 Madagascar 135,621 compare
  4. 52 Equatorial Guinea 128,846 compare
  5. 53 Kazakhstan 128,155 compare
  6. 54 Canada 127,666 compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More education data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is children out of school, primary in India?
Children out of school, primary in India was 134,967 in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest children out of school, primary recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 28.44 million in 1971.
What is the lowest children out of school, primary recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 119,749 in 2024.
How does India rank for children out of school, primary?
India ranks 51st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is children out of school, primary rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is down 97.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Children out of school, primary. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Children out of school, primary
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
202 places, 4,752 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Children out of school are the number of primary-school-age children not enrolled in primary or secondary school.