Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 6 programmes, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa

SDG: Sub-saharan Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 6 programmes, female was 2.99 million in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
2.99 million
Change on year
up 5.6%
Rank
136th
of 204 groups
All-time high
2.99 million
in 2021
All-time low
1.67 million
in 2011
Years of data
11
2011–2021

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 6 programmes, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, 2011–2021

01.0M2.0M3.0M2011201620212011: 1.7M2012: 1.9M2013: 2.0M2014: 2.1M2015: 2.2M2016: 2.3M2017: 2.5M2018: 2.6M2019: 2.7M2020: 2.8M2021: 3.0M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

SDG: Sub-saharan Africa recorded 2.99 million for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 6 programmes, female in 2021. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.6% on the previous year and up 78.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 6 programmes, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 2.99 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.67 million, in 2011.

That places SDG: Sub-saharan Africa 136th out of 204 groups with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 6 programmes, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 6 programmes, female (number) in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, 2011 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2011 1.67 million
2012 1.85 million +10.8%
2013 1.98 million +6.9%
2014 2.09 million +5.5%
2015 2.20 million +5.1%
2016 2.31 million +5.3%
2017 2.46 million +6.2%
2018 2.58 million +5.1%
2019 2.70 million +4.5%
2020 2.83 million +4.8%
2021 2.99 million +5.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 2.21 million 1.67 million 2.70 million 9
2020s 2.91 million 2.83 million 2.99 million 2

More education data for SDG: Sub-saharan Africa

All data for SDG: Sub-saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 6 programmes, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 6 programmes, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa was 2.99 million in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 6 programmes, female recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2.99 million in 2021.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 6 programmes, female recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 1.67 million in 2011.
How does SDG: Sub-saharan Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 6 programmes, female?
SDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 136th out of 204 groups with data for 2021.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 6 programmes, female rising or falling in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 78.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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, ISCED 6 programmes, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 6 programmes, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-6-programmes-female-number-2/sdg-sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 6 programmes, female (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
333 places, 3,825 data points, 1999–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release