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

ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126): Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male was 5.89 million in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
5.89 million
Change on year
up 3.5%
Rank
126th
of 221 groups
All-time high
5.89 million
in 2021
All-time low
230,555
in 1971
Years of data
52
1970–2021

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

02.0M4.0M6.0M197019952021

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) recorded 5.89 million for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in 2021. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.

The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 45.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) peaked at 5.89 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 230,555, in 1971.

That places ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) 126th 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, male in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126), year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126), 1970 to 2021.
Year Value Change
1970 236,515
1971 230,555 -2.5%
1972 255,177 +10.7%
1973 259,290 +1.6%
1974 281,011 +8.4%
1975 300,836 +7.1%
1976 322,365 +7.2%
1977 351,102 +8.9%
1978 386,963 +10.2%
1979 431,980 +11.6%
1980 468,583 +8.5%
1981 518,844 +10.7%
1982 576,033 +11.0%
1983 607,889 +5.5%
1984 633,694 +4.2%
1985 689,551 +8.8%
1986 741,848 +7.6%
1987 769,531 +3.7%
1988 842,998 +9.5%
1989 914,949 +8.5%
1990 961,896 +5.1%
1991 1.02 million +5.9%
1992 1.08 million +5.5%
1993 1.15 million +6.5%
1994 1.20 million +5.1%
1995 1.26 million +4.8%
1996 1.31 million +4.1%
1997 1.37 million +4.4%
1998 1.42 million +3.9%
1999 1.47 million +3.2%
2000 1.65 million +12.1%
2001 1.84 million +11.8%
2002 2.03 million +10.3%
2003 2.27 million +11.6%
2004 2.43 million +7.2%
2005 2.64 million +8.6%
2006 2.78 million +5.3%
2007 2.93 million +5.5%
2008 3.18 million +8.4%
2009 3.43 million +8.1%
2010 3.75 million +9.2%
2011 4.05 million +8.1%
2012 4.27 million +5.3%
2013 4.53 million +6.2%
2014 4.74 million +4.6%
2015 4.90 million +3.4%
2016 5.01 million +2.3%
2017 5.19 million +3.6%
2018 5.36 million +3.3%
2019 5.49 million +2.3%
2020 5.69 million +3.6%
2021 5.89 million +3.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 305,579 230,555 431,980 10
1980s 676,392 468,583 914,949 10
1990s 1.22 million 961,896 1.47 million 10
2000s 2.52 million 1.65 million 3.43 million 10
2010s 4.73 million 3.75 million 5.49 million 10
2020s 5.79 million 5.69 million 5.89 million 2

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

  1. 123 Armenia 40,588 compare
  2. 124 Slovenia 33,799 compare
  3. 125 Republic of Moldova 33,513 compare
  4. 126 Congo 33,072 compare
  5. 127 Zambia 32,186 compare
  6. 128 Latvia 30,806 compare
  7. 129 Bosnia and Herzegovina 30,320 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, male in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) was 5.89 million in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male recorded in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
The highest recorded value was 5.89 million in 2021.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male recorded in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
The lowest recorded value was 230,555 in 1971.
How does ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male?
ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) ranks 126th out of 221 groups with data for 2021.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male rising or falling in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
Over the last ten years it is up 45.3%. 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, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-male-number-2/eca-sub-saharan-africa-unsdcode-98126/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
416 places, 17,221 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release