Number of out-of-school children of primary school age in Guatemala

Guatemala: Number of out-of-school children of primary school age was 197,954 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
197,954
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
5th
of 36 countries
All-time high
514,521
in 1997
All-time low
55,265
in 2011
Years of data
34
1970–2023

Number of out-of-school children of primary school age in Guatemala, 1970–2023

100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k1970199620231970: 458.6k1971: 458.0k1972: 462.7k1974: 478.1k1975: 477.0k1978: 462.9k1979: 462.5k1980: 447.4k1981: 419.7k1982: 464.8k1983: 428.4k1997: 514.5k1999: 328.6k2000: 292.8k2001: 318.4k2002: 256.9k2004: 168.7k2005: 141.8k2006: 114.2k2007: 92.8k2008: 88.8k2011: 55.3k2012: 117.9k2013: 170.1k2014: 217.2k2015: 231.9k2016: 257.3k2017: 242.5k2018: 222.1k2019: 227.9k2020: 225.9k2021: 199.0k2022: 199.1k2023: 198.0k

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

In 2023, number of out-of-school children of primary school age in Guatemala stood at 197,954.

That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and up 16.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of out-of-school children of primary school age in Guatemala peaked at 514,521 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 55,265, in 2011.

Guatemala ranks 5th of 36 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Number of out-of-school children of primary school age in Guatemala, year by year

Annual values for Number of out-of-school children of primary school age (UNESCO) in Guatemala, 1970 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1970 458,638
1971 457,977 -0.1%
1972 462,672 +1.0%
1974 478,079 +3.3%
1975 476,959 -0.2%
1978 462,864 -3.0%
1979 462,538 -0.1%
1980 447,415 -3.3%
1981 419,727 -6.2%
1982 464,759 +10.7%
1983 428,392 -7.8%
1997 514,521 +20.1%
1999 328,599 -36.1%
2000 292,825 -10.9%
2001 318,378 +8.7%
2002 256,938 -19.3%
2004 168,707 -34.3%
2005 141,789 -16.0%
2006 114,237 -19.4%
2007 92,775 -18.8%
2008 88,802 -4.3%
2011 55,265 -37.8%
2012 117,926 +113.4%
2013 170,129 +44.3%
2014 217,239 +27.7%
2015 231,853 +6.7%
2016 257,270 +11.0%
2017 242,461 -5.8%
2018 222,054 -8.4%
2019 227,941 +2.7%
2020 225,894 -0.9%
2021 198,971 -11.9%
2022 199,141 +0.1%
2023 197,954 -0.6%

Guatemala compared with similar countries

  • Guatemala's 197,954 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 23,082, 8.6× the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Guatemala's 197,954 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 30,558, 6.5× the median. (18 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Number of out-of-school children of primary school age in Guatemala changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2012 +113.4% 55,265 117,926

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 465,675 457,977 478,079 7
1980s 440,073 419,727 464,759 4
1990s 421,560 328,599 514,521 2
2000s 184,306 88,802 318,378 8
2010s 193,571 55,265 257,270 9
2020s 205,490 197,954 225,894 4

Countries ranked near Guatemala

  1. 2 Haiti 500,435 compare
  2. 3 Honduras 310,708 compare
  3. 4 Colombia 289,295 compare
  4. 6 Paraguay 99,708 compare
  5. 7 El Salvador 95,913 compare
  6. 8 Ecuador 85,933 compare

See the full ranking of 36 places →

More health data for Guatemala

All data for Guatemala →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of out-of-school children of primary school age in Guatemala?
Number of out-of-school children of primary school age in Guatemala was 197,954 in 2023, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest number of out-of-school children of primary school age recorded in Guatemala?
The highest recorded value was 514,521 in 1997.
What is the lowest number of out-of-school children of primary school age recorded in Guatemala?
The lowest recorded value was 55,265 in 2011.
How does Guatemala rank for number of out-of-school children of primary school age?
Guatemala ranks 5th out of 36 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of out-of-school children of primary school age rising or falling in Guatemala?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Guatemala data come from?
The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Number of out-of-school children of primary school age (UNESCO). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of out-of-school children of primary school age in Guatemala. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-out-of-school-children-of-primary-school-age-unesco/guatemala/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of out-of-school children of primary school age (UNESCO)
Source
UNICEF
Licence
UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
36 places, 953 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed