Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)

ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126): Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female was 4.62 million in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
4.62 million
Change on year
up 4.4%
Rank
131st
of 221 groups
All-time high
4.62 million
in 2021
All-time low
152,805
in 1970
Years of data
52
1970–2021

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126), 1970–2021

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M197019952021

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2021, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) stood at 4.62 million. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.4% on the previous year and up 64.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) peaked at 4.62 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 152,805, in 1970.

That places ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) 131st out of 221 groups with data for 2021, putting it 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, female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126), year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126), 1970 to 2021.
Year Value Change
1970 152,805
1971 155,456 +1.7%
1972 160,999 +3.6%
1973 166,042 +3.1%
1974 176,475 +6.3%
1975 185,825 +5.3%
1976 196,357 +5.7%
1977 209,750 +6.8%
1978 224,758 +7.2%
1979 243,782 +8.5%
1980 261,641 +7.3%
1981 284,111 +8.6%
1982 308,927 +8.7%
1983 326,308 +5.6%
1984 344,377 +5.5%
1985 369,326 +7.2%
1986 396,555 +7.4%
1987 421,245 +6.2%
1988 444,863 +5.6%
1989 480,092 +7.9%
1990 501,951 +4.6%
1991 547,596 +9.1%
1992 599,996 +9.6%
1993 655,385 +9.2%
1994 730,156 +11.4%
1995 787,743 +7.9%
1996 842,672 +7.0%
1997 903,349 +7.2%
1998 970,133 +7.4%
1999 1.03 million +6.4%
2000 1.16 million +12.1%
2001 1.28 million +10.6%
2002 1.42 million +11.0%
2003 1.55 million +9.3%
2004 1.69 million +9.0%
2005 1.85 million +9.2%
2006 1.98 million +7.1%
2007 2.09 million +5.5%
2008 2.24 million +7.2%
2009 2.44 million +9.1%
2010 2.65 million +8.5%
2011 2.80 million +5.7%
2012 3.05 million +8.7%
2013 3.28 million +7.5%
2014 3.42 million +4.3%
2015 3.57 million +4.6%
2016 3.70 million +3.6%
2017 3.88 million +4.8%
2018 4.07 million +5.0%
2019 4.23 million +3.8%
2020 4.43 million +4.7%
2021 4.62 million +4.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 187,225 152,805 243,782 10
1980s 363,744 261,641 480,092 10
1990s 757,076 501,951 1.03 million 10
2000s 1.77 million 1.16 million 2.44 million 10
2010s 3.47 million 2.65 million 4.23 million 10
2020s 4.53 million 4.43 million 4.62 million 2

Countries ranked near ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)

  1. 128 North Macedonia 33,618 compare
  2. 129 Botswana 32,975 compare
  3. 130 Qatar 32,446 compare
  4. 131 Fiji 31,963 compare
  5. 132 Bahrain 31,329 compare
  6. 133 Niger 30,508 compare
  7. 134 Macau, China 30,211 compare

See the full ranking of 416 places →

More education data for ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)

All data for ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) was 4.62 million in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
The highest recorded value was 4.62 million in 2021.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
The lowest recorded value was 152,805 in 1970.
How does ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female?
ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) ranks 131st out of 221 groups with data for 2021.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female rising or falling in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
Over the last ten years it is up 64.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-female-number-2/eca-sub-saharan-africa-unsdcode-98126/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
416 places, 17,247 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release