Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
SDG: Sub-saharan Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female was 4.25 million in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
4.25 million
Change on year
up 4.5%
Rank
136th
of 221 groups
All-time high
4.25 million
in 2021
All-time low
65,998
in 1970
Years of data
52
1970–2021
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, 1970–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
SDG: Sub-saharan Africa recorded 4.25 million for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in 2021. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.5% on the previous year and up 67.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 4.25 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 65,998, in 1970.
That places SDG: Sub-saharan Africa 136th 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 SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 65,998 | — |
| 1971 | 68,648 | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 74,191 | +8.1% |
| 1973 | 79,234 | +6.8% |
| 1974 | 89,668 | +13.2% |
| 1975 | 99,019 | +10.4% |
| 1976 | 109,552 | +10.6% |
| 1977 | 122,947 | +12.2% |
| 1978 | 137,959 | +12.2% |
| 1979 | 157,009 | +13.8% |
| 1980 | 174,903 | +11.4% |
| 1981 | 197,408 | +12.9% |
| 1982 | 222,264 | +12.6% |
| 1983 | 239,690 | +7.8% |
| 1984 | 257,810 | +7.6% |
| 1985 | 282,816 | +9.7% |
| 1986 | 310,262 | +9.7% |
| 1987 | 335,073 | +8.0% |
| 1988 | 358,713 | +7.1% |
| 1989 | 393,999 | +9.8% |
| 1990 | 415,772 | +5.5% |
| 1991 | 461,510 | +11.0% |
| 1992 | 514,017 | +11.4% |
| 1993 | 569,651 | +10.8% |
| 1994 | 644,630 | +13.2% |
| 1995 | 702,225 | +8.9% |
| 1996 | 757,313 | +7.8% |
| 1997 | 817,926 | +8.0% |
| 1998 | 884,795 | +8.2% |
| 1999 | 943,177 | +6.6% |
| 2000 | 1.06 million | +12.3% |
| 2001 | 1.16 million | +9.4% |
| 2002 | 1.28 million | +10.4% |
| 2003 | 1.42 million | +11.0% |
| 2004 | 1.53 million | +7.7% |
| 2005 | 1.66 million | +8.6% |
| 2006 | 1.76 million | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 1.87 million | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 2.00 million | +7.0% |
| 2009 | 2.18 million | +9.3% |
| 2010 | 2.38 million | +8.8% |
| 2011 | 2.54 million | +7.0% |
| 2012 | 2.76 million | +8.7% |
| 2013 | 2.95 million | +6.7% |
| 2014 | 3.10 million | +5.2% |
| 2015 | 3.25 million | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 3.37 million | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 3.54 million | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 3.72 million | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 3.87 million | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 4.06 million | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 4.25 million | +4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 100,423 | 65,998 | 157,009 | 10 |
| 1980s | 277,294 | 174,903 | 393,999 | 10 |
| 1990s | 671,102 | 415,772 | 943,177 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.59 million | 1.06 million | 2.18 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.15 million | 2.38 million | 3.87 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.16 million | 4.06 million | 4.25 million | 2 |
Countries ranked near SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
More education data for SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.40 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 40.94 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25.10 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.68 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 9.77 million (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 4 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.52 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 3.6 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 5.52 million (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa was 4.25 million in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.25 million in 2021.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 65,998 in 1970.
- How does SDG: Sub-saharan Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female?
- SDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 136th out of 221 groups with data for 2021.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female rising or falling in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 67.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this SDG: Sub-saharan Africa 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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About this data
February 2026 Data Release