Lower secondary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower secondary completion rate, female was 43.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Lower secondary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1976–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of relevant age group.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 43.5% for lower secondary completion rate, female in 2023. That is the highest value across all 48 years on record.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lower secondary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 43.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 19.5%, in 1976.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 37th out of 43 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Lower secondary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of relevant age group | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 19.5% | — |
| 1977 | 19.7% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 19.8% | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 19.8% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 20.0% | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 20.1% | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 20.2% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 20.2% | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 20.3% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 20.4% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 20.5% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 20.5% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 20.6% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 20.9% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 21.1% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 21.5% | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 21.5% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 21.9% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 21.9% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 22.5% | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 22.9% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 23.3% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 23.8% | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 24.2% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 24.5% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 25.5% | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 27.3% | +7.0% |
| 2003 | 27.7% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 28.1% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 29.0% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 30.1% | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 31.4% | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 33.0% | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 34.2% | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 35.5% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 36.6% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 37.4% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 38.2% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 38.7% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 39.7% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 40.1% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 40.5% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 40.9% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 41.5% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 42.4% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 42.9% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 42.8% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 43.5% | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 19.7% | 19.5% | 19.8% | 4 |
| 1980s | 20.4% | 20.0% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.5% | 21.1% | 24.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.1% | 24.5% | 34.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.9% | 35.5% | 41.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.9% | 42.4% | 43.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.80 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9738 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1526 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 97.1% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 5.14 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lower secondary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Lower secondary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa was 43.5% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest lower secondary completion rate, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 43.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest lower secondary completion rate, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.5% in 1976.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for lower secondary completion rate, female?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 37th out of 43 groups with data for 2023.
- Is lower secondary completion rate, female rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.