Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa

MDG: Sub-saharan Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male was 5.90 million in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
5.90 million
Change on year
up 3.5%
Rank
121st
of 221 groups
All-time high
5.90 million
in 2021
All-time low
230,915
in 1971
Years of data
52
1970–2021

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa, 1970–2021

02.0M4.0M6.0M197019952021

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2021, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa stood at 5.90 million. 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 MDG: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 5.90 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 230,915, in 1971.

That places MDG: Sub-saharan Africa 121st 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 MDG: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa, 1970 to 2021.
Year Value Change
1970 236,878
1971 230,915 -2.5%
1972 255,535 +10.7%
1973 259,647 +1.6%
1974 281,370 +8.4%
1975 301,204 +7.0%
1976 322,746 +7.2%
1977 351,497 +8.9%
1978 387,394 +10.2%
1979 432,631 +11.7%
1980 469,516 +8.5%
1981 520,046 +10.8%
1982 577,523 +11.1%
1983 609,688 +5.6%
1984 635,825 +4.3%
1985 692,036 +8.8%
1986 745,821 +7.8%
1987 774,235 +3.8%
1988 847,710 +9.5%
1989 920,005 +8.5%
1990 967,039 +5.1%
1991 1.02 million +5.9%
1992 1.08 million +5.5%
1993 1.15 million +6.6%
1994 1.21 million +5.1%
1995 1.27 million +4.8%
1996 1.32 million +4.1%
1997 1.38 million +4.4%
1998 1.43 million +3.9%
1999 1.48 million +3.3%
2000 1.66 million +12.0%
2001 1.85 million +11.7%
2002 2.04 million +10.2%
2003 2.27 million +11.6%
2004 2.44 million +7.1%
2005 2.64 million +8.5%
2006 2.78 million +5.3%
2007 2.94 million +5.5%
2008 3.18 million +8.4%
2009 3.44 million +8.1%
2010 3.76 million +9.2%
2011 4.06 million +8.1%
2012 4.28 million +5.3%
2013 4.54 million +6.2%
2014 4.75 million +4.6%
2015 4.91 million +3.4%
2016 5.03 million +2.3%
2017 5.21 million +3.6%
2018 5.38 million +3.3%
2019 5.50 million +2.3%
2020 5.70 million +3.6%
2021 5.90 million +3.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 305,982 230,915 432,631 10
1980s 679,240 469,516 920,005 10
1990s 1.23 million 967,039 1.48 million 10
2000s 2.52 million 1.66 million 3.44 million 10
2010s 4.74 million 3.76 million 5.50 million 10
2020s 5.80 million 5.70 million 5.90 million 2

Countries ranked near MDG: Sub-saharan Africa

  1. 118 Niger 49,907 compare
  2. 119 Albania 49,644 compare
  3. 120 Chad 49,114 compare
  4. 121 Burundi 43,648 compare
  5. 122 Lithuania 42,492 compare
  6. 123 Armenia 40,588 compare
  7. 124 Slovenia 33,799 compare

See the full ranking of 416 places →

More education data for MDG: Sub-saharan Africa

All data for MDG: Sub-saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa was 5.90 million in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male recorded in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 5.90 million in 2021.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male recorded in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 230,915 in 1971.
How does MDG: Sub-saharan Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male?
MDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 121st out of 221 groups with data for 2021.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male rising or falling in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 45.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this MDG: Sub-saharan Africa 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-male-number-2/mdg-sub-saharan-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-male-number-2/mdg-sub-saharan-africa/">Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa</a> — Statizoid

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