Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 7 programmes, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa

UIS: Sub-saharan Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 7 programmes, both sexes was 791,152 in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
791,152
Change on year
up 5.9%
Rank
141st
of 205 groups
All-time high
791,152
in 2021
All-time low
498,183
in 2011
Years of data
11
2011–2021

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 7 programmes, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa, 2011–2021

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k2011201620212011: 498.2k2012: 542.8k2013: 565.9k2014: 627.3k2015: 645.2k2016: 678.4k2017: 698.7k2018: 710.9k2019: 719.4k2020: 746.8k2021: 791.2k

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

UIS: Sub-saharan Africa recorded 791,152 for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 7 programmes, both sexes in 2021. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.

The figure is up 5.9% on the previous year and up 58.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 7 programmes, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 791,152 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 498,183, in 2011.

That places UIS: Sub-saharan Africa 141st out of 205 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 7 programmes, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 7 programmes, both sexes (number) in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa, 2011 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2011 498,183
2012 542,848 +9.0%
2013 565,858 +4.2%
2014 627,340 +10.9%
2015 645,179 +2.8%
2016 678,395 +5.1%
2017 698,736 +3.0%
2018 710,904 +1.7%
2019 719,374 +1.2%
2020 746,765 +3.8%
2021 791,152 +5.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 631,869 498,183 719,374 9
2020s 768,958 746,765 791,152 2

More education data for UIS: Sub-saharan Africa

All data for UIS: Sub-saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 7 programmes, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 7 programmes, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa was 791,152 in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 7 programmes, both sexes recorded in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 791,152 in 2021.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 7 programmes, both sexes recorded in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 498,183 in 2011.
How does UIS: Sub-saharan Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 7 programmes, both sexes?
UIS: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 141st out of 205 groups with data for 2021.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 7 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 58.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this UIS: Sub-saharan Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 7 programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 11 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, ISCED 7 programmes, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-7-programmes-both-sexes-number-2/uis-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-isced-7-programmes-both-sexes-number-2/uis-sub-saharan-africa/">Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 7 programmes, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 7 programmes, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
333 places, 3,877 data points, 2002–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release