Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in UNICEF: Africa

UNICEF: Africa: Enrolment in pre-primary education, female was 14.71 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
14.71 million
Change on year
up 2.0%
Rank
54th
of 221 groups
All-time high
14.71 million
in 2024
All-time low
2.56 million
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in UNICEF: Africa, 1980–2024

2.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M12.5M15.0M1980200220241980: 2.6M1981: 2.6M1982: 2.7M1983: 2.8M1984: 2.9M1985: 3.0M1986: 3.1M1987: 3.3M1988: 3.4M1989: 3.5M1990: 3.6M1991: 3.7M1992: 3.8M1993: 3.8M1994: 3.9M1995: 4.0M1996: 4.2M1997: 4.1M1998: 4.5M1999: 3.8M2000: 4.2M2001: 4.4M2002: 4.8M2003: 5.4M2004: 6.0M2005: 6.5M2006: 7.2M2007: 6.7M2008: 6.9M2009: 7.6M2010: 8.0M2011: 8.8M2012: 10.2M2013: 11.4M2014: 10.0M2015: 10.8M2016: 11.4M2017: 12.4M2018: 12.5M2019: 12.8M2020: 12.9M2021: 12.2M2022: 13.4M2023: 14.4M2024: 14.7M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2024, enrolment in pre-primary education, female in UNICEF: Africa stood at 14.71 million. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 47.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in pre-primary education, female in UNICEF: Africa peaked at 14.71 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.56 million, in 1980.

That places UNICEF: Africa 54th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in UNICEF: Africa, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number) in UNICEF: Africa, 1980 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1980 2.56 million
1981 2.63 million +2.9%
1982 2.74 million +4.1%
1983 2.79 million +2.1%
1984 2.88 million +3.0%
1985 2.96 million +2.7%
1986 3.07 million +3.7%
1987 3.27 million +6.8%
1988 3.40 million +3.8%
1989 3.52 million +3.5%
1990 3.62 million +2.8%
1991 3.68 million +1.7%
1992 3.76 million +2.1%
1993 3.81 million +1.5%
1994 3.90 million +2.3%
1995 3.99 million +2.4%
1996 4.17 million +4.3%
1997 4.06 million -2.6%
1998 4.47 million +10.0%
1999 3.76 million -15.7%
2000 4.18 million +10.9%
2001 4.40 million +5.4%
2002 4.82 million +9.6%
2003 5.45 million +13.0%
2004 6.04 million +10.8%
2005 6.48 million +7.4%
2006 7.20 million +11.0%
2007 6.74 million -6.3%
2008 6.87 million +2.0%
2009 7.57 million +10.2%
2010 8.00 million +5.6%
2011 8.82 million +10.3%
2012 10.19 million +15.5%
2013 11.44 million +12.3%
2014 9.95 million -13.0%
2015 10.81 million +8.7%
2016 11.44 million +5.8%
2017 12.43 million +8.6%
2018 12.46 million +0.3%
2019 12.75 million +2.3%
2020 12.95 million +1.5%
2021 12.17 million -6.0%
2022 13.38 million +10.0%
2023 14.42 million +7.7%
2024 14.71 million +2.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 2.98 million 2.56 million 3.52 million 10
1990s 3.92 million 3.62 million 4.47 million 10
2000s 5.98 million 4.18 million 7.57 million 10
2010s 10.83 million 8.00 million 12.75 million 10
2020s 13.53 million 12.17 million 14.71 million 5

Countries ranked near UNICEF: Africa

  1. 51 Ecuador 291,075 compare
  2. 52 Israel 277,964 compare
  3. 53 Canada 273,465 compare
  4. 54 Chile 264,101 compare
  5. 55 Romania 254,147 compare
  6. 56 Netherlands 240,049 compare
  7. 57 Sweden 222,360 compare

See the full ranking of 429 places →

More education data for UNICEF: Africa

All data for UNICEF: Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in pre-primary education, female in UNICEF: Africa?
Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in UNICEF: Africa was 14.71 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in pre-primary education, female recorded in UNICEF: Africa?
The highest recorded value was 14.71 million in 2024.
What is the lowest enrolment in pre-primary education, female recorded in UNICEF: Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2.56 million in 1980.
How does UNICEF: Africa rank for enrolment in pre-primary education, female?
UNICEF: Africa ranks 54th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is enrolment in pre-primary education, female rising or falling in UNICEF: Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 47.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this UNICEF: Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in UNICEF: Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-pre-primary-education-female-number-2/unicef-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
429 places, 16,912 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release