Lower secondary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Lower secondary completion rate, total was 44.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Lower secondary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1973–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of relevant age group.
Analysis
In 2023, lower secondary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 44.4%. 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 peaked at 44.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 22.6%, in 1973.
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 51 years of available data.
Lower secondary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa, 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% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 23.4% | +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 | 41.7% | +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% | 23.4% | 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
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 97.1% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.004 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 5.14 million (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 0.3987 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lower secondary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Lower secondary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- The highest recorded value was 44.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest lower secondary completion rate, total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.6% in 1973.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for lower secondary completion rate, total?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 37th out of 43 groups with data for 2023.
- Is lower secondary completion rate, total rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 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 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.