Human capital composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Human capital composite index was -1.13 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2024. ▼ Falling
Human capital composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1970–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in standard deviations from the yearly mean.
Analysis
In 2024, human capital composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at -1.13 standard deviations from the yearly mean.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 28.9% on the previous year and down 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human capital composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at -0.5828 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 1982 and was at its lowest, -1.14 standard deviations from the yearly mean, in 2007.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 38th out of 43 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Human capital composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | standard deviations from the yearly mean | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | -0.8012 standard deviations from the yearly mean | — |
| 1971 | -0.6582 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -17.8% |
| 1972 | -0.6746 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +2.5% |
| 1973 | -0.74 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +9.7% |
| 1974 | -0.7692 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +4.0% |
| 1975 | -0.8252 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +7.3% |
| 1976 | -0.8126 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.5% |
| 1977 | -0.7644 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -5.9% |
| 1978 | -0.7322 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -4.2% |
| 1979 | -0.7017 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -4.2% |
| 1980 | -0.6306 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -10.1% |
| 1981 | -0.6388 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +1.3% |
| 1982 | -0.5828 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -8.8% |
| 1983 | -0.614 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +5.3% |
| 1984 | -0.6246 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +1.7% |
| 1985 | -0.758 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +21.4% |
| 1986 | -0.7617 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +0.5% |
| 1987 | -0.7648 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +0.4% |
| 1988 | -0.7379 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -3.5% |
| 1989 | -0.8101 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +9.8% |
| 1990 | -0.8967 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +10.7% |
| 1991 | -0.8279 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -7.7% |
| 1992 | -0.8858 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +7.0% |
| 1993 | -0.8619 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -2.7% |
| 1994 | -0.8986 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +4.3% |
| 1995 | -0.9382 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +4.4% |
| 1996 | -0.9069 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -3.3% |
| 1997 | -0.9842 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +8.5% |
| 1998 | -0.8803 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -10.6% |
| 1999 | -0.9812 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +11.5% |
| 2000 | -1.06 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +7.6% |
| 2001 | -1.03 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -2.8% |
| 2002 | -1.03 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +0.8% |
| 2003 | -1.07 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +3.4% |
| 2004 | -1.02 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -4.9% |
| 2005 | -1.01 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.5% |
| 2006 | -1.01 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +0.0% |
| 2007 | -1.14 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +12.5% |
| 2008 | -1.09 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -4.2% |
| 2009 | -1.06 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -3.1% |
| 2010 | -1.04 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.9% |
| 2011 | -0.9594 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -7.5% |
| 2012 | -0.9591 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -0.9008 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -6.1% |
| 2014 | -0.9158 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +1.7% |
| 2015 | -0.9151 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.1% |
| 2016 | -0.985 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +7.6% |
| 2017 | -0.9336 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -5.2% |
| 2018 | -0.903 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -3.3% |
| 2019 | -0.9016 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.2% |
| 2020 | -0.9838 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +9.1% |
| 2021 | -0.863 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -12.3% |
| 2022 | -0.9738 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +12.8% |
| 2023 | -0.8761 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -10.0% |
| 2024 | -1.13 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +28.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | -0.7479 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.8252 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.6582 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.6923 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.8101 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.5828 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.9062 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.9842 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.8279 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.05 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.14 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.01 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.941 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.04 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.9008 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.9652 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.13 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.863 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 35 Grenada 0.7209 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 36 Liechtenstein 0.7043 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 37 Ireland 0.6921 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 38 Sao Tome and Principe 0.6721 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 39 Fiji 0.6552 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 40 Poland 0.6443 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 41 Tunisia 0.6417 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 97.1% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.004 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 96.0% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 98.2% (2024)
- Labor force, total, per capita 0.3988 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human capital composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Human capital composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was -1.13 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest human capital composite index recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was -0.5828 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 1982.
- What is the lowest human capital composite index recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.14 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2007.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for human capital composite index?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 38th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is human capital composite index rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Human capital composite index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
An equal-weighted index of 4 indicators: Literacy rate, adult total; School enrollment, primary; School enrollment, secondary; Government expenditure on education, total. Each is standardised against that year's spread across all reporting countries before averaging, so a score of 0 is the average country and +1 is one standard deviation above it.
Equal-weighted mean of the standardised inputs below.
Computed from
- Literacy rate, adult total Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- School enrollment, primary Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- School enrollment, secondary Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- Government expenditure on education, total Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
An equal-weighted index of 4 indicators: Literacy rate, adult total; School enrollment, primary; School enrollment, secondary; Government expenditure on education, total. Each is standardised against that year's spread across all reporting countries before averaging, so a score of 0 is the average country and +1 is one standard deviation above it.