Lower secondary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Lower secondary completion rate, total was 44.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Lower secondary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1973–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of relevant age group.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 44.4% for lower secondary completion rate, total in 2023. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lower secondary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 44.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 22.6%, in 1973.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 41st of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Lower secondary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of relevant age group | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 22.6% | — |
| 1974 | 22.6% | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 22.7% | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 22.8% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 23.0% | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 23.1% | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 23.1% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 23.3% | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 23.5% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 23.6% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 23.7% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 23.8% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 23.8% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 23.8% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 23.7% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 23.8% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 23.9% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 24.2% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 24.4% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 24.4% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 24.7% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 24.7% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 25.4% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 25.8% | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 26.2% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 26.6% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 26.9% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 27.1% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 28.3% | +4.6% |
| 2002 | 30.4% | +7.3% |
| 2003 | 30.9% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 31.4% | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 32.4% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 33.6% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 35.0% | +4.0% |
| 2008 | 36.7% | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 37.8% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 38.9% | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 39.8% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 40.4% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 40.9% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 41.6% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 42.3% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 42.5% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 42.6% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 42.8% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 43.0% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 43.7% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 44.2% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 43.8% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 44.4% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 22.9% | 22.6% | 23.1% | 7 |
| 1980s | 23.7% | 23.3% | 23.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.3% | 24.2% | 26.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.4% | 27.1% | 37.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.5% | 38.9% | 43.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.0% | 43.7% | 44.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.79 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.42 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9733 % change on previous year (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)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lower secondary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Lower secondary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 44.4% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest lower secondary completion rate, total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 44.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest lower secondary completion rate, total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.6% in 1973.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for lower secondary completion rate, total?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 41st out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is lower secondary completion rate, total rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Lower secondary completion rate, total (% 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.