Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Africa
UNICEF: Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes was 19.22 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
19.22 million
Change on year
up 2.0%
Rank
85th
of 221 groups
All-time high
19.22 million
in 2024
All-time low
745,228
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Africa stood at 19.22 million. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 43.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Africa peaked at 19.22 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 745,228, in 1970.
UNICEF: Africa ranks 85th of 221 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 745,228 | — |
| 1971 | 762,467 | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 823,064 | +7.9% |
| 1973 | 889,055 | +8.0% |
| 1974 | 979,536 | +10.2% |
| 1975 | 1.08 million | +10.7% |
| 1976 | 1.21 million | +11.6% |
| 1977 | 1.34 million | +11.0% |
| 1978 | 1.47 million | +9.3% |
| 1979 | 1.55 million | +5.9% |
| 1980 | 1.67 million | +7.6% |
| 1981 | 1.84 million | +10.0% |
| 1982 | 2.01 million | +9.2% |
| 1983 | 2.11 million | +4.9% |
| 1984 | 2.23 million | +5.8% |
| 1985 | 2.31 million | +3.8% |
| 1986 | 2.45 million | +5.9% |
| 1987 | 2.55 million | +4.0% |
| 1988 | 2.67 million | +4.8% |
| 1989 | 2.73 million | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 2.83 million | +3.7% |
| 1991 | 2.87 million | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 3.15 million | +9.7% |
| 1993 | 3.49 million | +10.8% |
| 1994 | 3.83 million | +9.6% |
| 1995 | 4.17 million | +8.9% |
| 1996 | 4.56 million | +9.4% |
| 1997 | 4.95 million | +8.7% |
| 1998 | 5.31 million | +7.2% |
| 1999 | 5.74 million | +8.1% |
| 2000 | 6.16 million | +7.2% |
| 2001 | 6.64 million | +7.8% |
| 2002 | 7.25 million | +9.2% |
| 2003 | 7.59 million | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 8.13 million | +7.1% |
| 2005 | 8.71 million | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 9.09 million | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 9.51 million | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 10.10 million | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 10.77 million | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 11.40 million | +5.8% |
| 2011 | 11.54 million | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 12.11 million | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 12.91 million | +6.6% |
| 2014 | 13.40 million | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 14.17 million | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 14.55 million | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 15.17 million | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 15.97 million | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 16.33 million | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 17.08 million | +4.6% |
| 2021 | 17.51 million | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 18.10 million | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 18.85 million | +4.1% |
| 2024 | 19.22 million | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.09 million | 745,228 | 1.55 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.26 million | 1.67 million | 2.73 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.09 million | 2.83 million | 5.74 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.40 million | 6.16 million | 10.77 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.75 million | 11.40 million | 16.33 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.15 million | 17.08 million | 19.22 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: Africa
More education data for UNICEF: Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 19.22 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 54.20 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.87 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 29.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.94 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 9.98 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 9.24 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 50.51 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Africa?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes in UNICEF: Africa was 19.22 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 19.22 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 745,228 in 1970.
- How does UNICEF: Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
- UNICEF: Africa ranks 85th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.5%. 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 tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release