School enrolment in Ghana: who is in school and who is not
Primary net enrolment was 78.9 percent in 2020/21, 12.6 points below its 2015/16 level. The World Bank counts 235,313 children out of primary school in 2024. All figures are national.
Gross enrolment ratio by level
Kindergarten gross enrolment ratio
106%
2009/10: 97.3%
2020/21: 106%
2020/21: 106%
Primary gross enrolment ratio
99.3%
2009/10: 94.9%
2020/21: 99.3%
2020/21: 99.3%
Junior high gross enrolment ratio
84.6%
2009/10: 79.5%
2020/21: 84.6%
2020/21: 84.6%
Senior high gross enrolment ratio
62.6%
2009/10: 36.1%
2018/19: 62.6%
2018/19: 62.6%
Ministry of Education ESPR 2015, 2018 and 2019, and UNICEF Ghana 2023 for 2019/20 and 2020/21. Senior high stops at 2018/19.
The figures
| Kindergarten gross enrolment ratio | Primary gross enrolment ratio | Junior high gross enrolment ratio | Senior high gross enrolment ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009/10 | 97.3 | 94.9 | 79.5 | 36.1 |
| 2010/11 | 98.4 | 96.4 | 79.6 | 36.5 |
| 2011/12 | 99.4 | 96.5 | 80.6 | 37.1 |
| 2012/13 | 113.8 | 105 | 82.2 | 36.8 |
| 2013/14 | 123 | 107.3 | 82 | 43.9 |
| 2014/15 | 128.8 | 110.4 | 85.4 | 45.6 |
| 2015/16 | 123.8 | 111.3 | 88 | 49.6 |
| 2016/17 | 115.6 | 111.4 | 86.8 | 50.1 |
| 2017/18 | 112.4 | 106.2 | 86.1 | 55.9 |
| 2018/19 | 113.9 | 105.3 | 86.2 | 62.6 |
| 2019/20 | 111 | 98.3 | 83.2 | n/a |
| 2020/21 | 106 | 99.3 | 84.6 | n/a |
Primary net enrolment ratio, 2009/10 to 2020/21
Ministry of Education ESPR 2015, 2018 and 2019, and UNICEF Ghana 2023. The 2023/24 plan figure is left out because it breaks from the series.
The figures
| Primary net enrolment ratio | |
|---|---|
| 2009/10 | 83.6 |
| 2010/11 | 77.8 |
| 2011/12 | 81.7 |
| 2012/13 | 84.1 |
| 2013/14 | 89.3 |
| 2014/15 | 91 |
| 2015/16 | 91.5 |
| 2016/17 | 91.1 |
| 2017/18 | 89.3 |
| 2018/19 | 87.3 |
| 2019/20 | 80.3 |
| 2020/21 | 78.9 |
Latest official ratios we hold
Primary net enrolment ratio
78.9%
2009/10: 83.6%
2020/21: 78.9%
2020/21: 78.9%
Primary gross enrolment ratio
99.3%
2009/10: 94.9%
2020/21: 99.3%
2020/21: 99.3%
Junior high gross enrolment ratio
84.6%
2009/10: 79.5%
2020/21: 84.6%
2020/21: 84.6%
Kindergarten gross enrolment ratio
106%
2009/10: 97.3%
2020/21: 106%
2020/21: 106%
Senior high gross enrolment ratio
62.6%
2009/10: 36.1%
2018/19: 62.6%
2018/19: 62.6%
Latest year held for each ratio. Primary, junior high and kindergarten: 2020/21. Senior high: 2018/19.
The figures
| Primary net enrolment ratio | Primary gross enrolment ratio | Junior high gross enrolment ratio | Kindergarten gross enrolment ratio | Senior high gross enrolment ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009/10 | 83.6 | 94.9 | 79.5 | 97.3 | 36.1 |
| 2010/11 | 77.8 | 96.4 | 79.6 | 98.4 | 36.5 |
| 2011/12 | 81.7 | 96.5 | 80.6 | 99.4 | 37.1 |
| 2012/13 | 84.1 | 105 | 82.2 | 113.8 | 36.8 |
| 2013/14 | 89.3 | 107.3 | 82 | 123 | 43.9 |
| 2014/15 | 91 | 110.4 | 85.4 | 128.8 | 45.6 |
| 2015/16 | 91.5 | 111.3 | 88 | 123.8 | 49.6 |
| 2016/17 | 91.1 | 111.4 | 86.8 | 115.6 | 50.1 |
| 2017/18 | 89.3 | 106.2 | 86.1 | 112.4 | 55.9 |
| 2018/19 | 87.3 | 105.3 | 86.2 | 113.9 | 62.6 |
| 2019/20 | 80.3 | 98.3 | 83.2 | 111 | n/a |
| 2020/21 | 78.9 | 99.3 | 84.6 | 106 | n/a |
What the data show
- Primary net enrolment was 83.6 percent in 2009/10 and 91.5 percent in 2015/16. It was 87.3 percent in 2018/19, 80.3 percent in 2019/20 and 78.9 percent in 2020/21. That is 12.6 points below the 2015/16 level.
- The World Bank counts 4,984,126 pupils in primary school and 3,334,409 at secondary level in 2024. These are World Bank counts, and they do not come from the Ministry ratios on this page.
- The World Bank puts the number of children out of primary school at 235,313 in 2024. Between 2017 and 2021 its yearly values ran from 251,231 in 2019 to 492,043 in 2020, and the latest value is lower than all of them. We show the latest value and the range, and we do not draw a trend.
- The primary gross ratio peaked at 111.4 in 2016/17. A gross ratio can go above one hundred because it counts pupils of every age.
- The net ratio of 78.9 percent in 2020/21 leaves 21.1 percent of primary-age children outside primary school. That is our calculation. Some of those children may be in kindergarten or junior high, so it is not a count of children who are out of school.
- Do not read the later plan figures as a continuation. The 2023/24 plan value for primary net enrolment is 90.42 percent. It breaks from the series by 11.5 points and has no second source, so we leave it out of the charts.
- All figures here are national. We hold no regional enrolment figures and no out-of-school count by region.
What the data cannot say. We cannot give out-of-school children beyond primary level, or by region. The one count we hold is the World Bank national figure for children out of primary school. We cannot say whether out-of-school numbers are rising or falling. The World Bank yearly values have gaps and jump about, so we do not draw a trend. We cannot say why primary enrolment fell after 2015/16. The ratios show that it fell and do not show causes. We cannot give a school dropout rate. Our dataset has completion rates but no dropout series. We cannot give enrolment or out-of-school figures by region. The regional ratios appear only as charts without numbers in the Ministry reports. We cannot use the 2023/24 plan figures as a continuation of the series. They break from the earlier values and have no second source.
Questions people ask
- How many children are out of school in Ghana?
- The World Bank counts 235,313 children out of primary school in 2024. Its yearly values are uneven, from 251,231 to 492,043 between 2017 and 2021, so we do not draw a trend. The Ministry net enrolment ratio was 78.9 percent in 2020/21, which leaves 21.1 percent of primary-age children outside primary school, though some may be in other levels.
- What is the primary school enrolment rate in Ghana?
- The primary net enrolment ratio was 78.9 percent in 2020/21, and the gross ratio was 99.3. The net ratio peaked at 91.5 percent in 2015/16.
- What is the school dropout rate in Ghana?
- We hold no dropout rate, so we do not give one. We will add it when we have an official source.
- How many students are in senior high school in Ghana?
- We hold no count for senior high alone. The World Bank counts 3,334,409 pupils at secondary level in 2024, without a split between junior and senior high. The senior high gross enrolment ratio was 62.6 in 2018/19, the latest year in our official series.
- Why did primary enrolment fall after 2016?
- The data do not say. They show net enrolment falling from 91.5 percent in 2015/16 to 78.9 percent in 2020/21. We hold no source that explains it.