Lower secondary completion rate, female in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Lower secondary completion rate, female was 41.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Lower secondary completion rate, female in Africa Western and Central, 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of relevant age group.
Analysis
Africa Western and Central recorded 41.3% for lower secondary completion rate, female in 2024.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lower secondary completion rate, female in Africa Western and Central peaked at 41.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 13.4%, in 1970.
Africa Western and Central ranks 43rd of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Lower secondary completion rate, female in Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | % of relevant age group | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 13.4% | — |
| 1971 | 13.4% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 13.8% | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 14.0% | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 14.2% | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 14.4% | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 14.4% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 14.8% | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 14.9% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 15.0% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 15.1% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 15.2% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 15.3% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 15.3% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 15.4% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 15.4% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 15.6% | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 15.5% | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 15.6% | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 15.7% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 16.4% | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 17.1% | +4.5% |
| 1992 | 17.4% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 17.6% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 17.7% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 17.8% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 17.8% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 18.2% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 18.3% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 18.7% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 19.2% | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 19.8% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 22.2% | +12.0% |
| 2003 | 24.5% | +10.4% |
| 2004 | 25.5% | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 26.7% | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 27.9% | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 29.2% | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 30.8% | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 32.3% | +5.0% |
| 2010 | 33.7% | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 34.6% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 35.5% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 36.1% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 36.1% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 37.4% | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 38.0% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 38.6% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 39.5% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 39.7% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 40.1% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 40.3% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 40.2% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 41.8% | +3.9% |
| 2024 | 41.3% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.2% | 13.4% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.4% | 15.1% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.7% | 16.4% | 18.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.8% | 19.2% | 32.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.9% | 33.7% | 39.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.7% | 40.1% | 41.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
More education data for Africa Western and Central
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9058 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.9% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 75.77 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 56.1% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2.08 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 35.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1455 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lower secondary completion rate, female in Africa Western and Central?
- Lower secondary completion rate, female in Africa Western and Central was 41.3% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest lower secondary completion rate, female recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 41.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest lower secondary completion rate, female recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.4% in 1970.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for lower secondary completion rate, female?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 43rd out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is lower secondary completion rate, female rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Lower secondary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Lower secondary education completion rate is measured as the gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary education (general and pre-vocational). It is calculated as the number of new entrants in the last grade of lower secondary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of lower secondary education.