School dropout rate reaches 27% across Latin America

In Latin America, the school dropout rate has reached 27%, posing a growing education crisis. This issue affects not only the poorest countries in the region but also those with historically strong public education systems like Chile, Costa Rica, and Uruguay. In Argentina, nearly 40% of the population, around 17.9 million people, live in poverty, directly impacting school attendance and completion.

Approximately 160 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean are of school age, with almost half failing to complete their education. Many are considering leaving their home countries for the United States, Spain, or other developed nations in search of better opportunities. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and other international organizations have warned that the region’s high dropout rates pose a significant threat to its development.

According to a report by the Inter-American Development Bank, 27% of students drop out before finishing their education, with UNESCO estimating that around 23 million children and teenagers in the region are not enrolled in school. Chile, Peru, and Bolivia have the lowest dropout rates, while Guatemala, Honduras, and Uruguay have the highest rates. Mexico faces its own challenges, with over 4 million children and teenagers out of school and 600,000 at risk of dropping out, particularly among teens aged 15 to 17.

Experts attribute part of the crisis to extended school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, disrupting schooling and widening existing inequalities, especially at the secondary level. While the pandemic exacerbated the issue, studies show that school dropout rates were problematic even before COVID-19, driven by deep-rooted structural problems like poverty, family issues, lack of motivation, and teenage pregnancy.

Factors such as student disengagement, disruptive classroom environments, and the inability to see education as a path to a better future also play a role. Drug use and recruitment by criminal organizations further hinder student retention. Strengthening the connection between vocational training and the job market could offer a solution, as leaving school early negatively impacts economic development by reducing workforce skills, productivity, and national economic growth.