Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 36.7% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1998–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) is 36.7%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 49.5% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 36.7%, in 2019.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 4th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 49.5% | — |
| 1999 | 48.6% | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 47.6% | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 47.0% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 45.7% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 44.6% | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 43.6% | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 42.5% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 41.6% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 41.8% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 40.8% | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 39.7% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 38.0% | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 37.5% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 37.1% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 37.9% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 38.7% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 38.7% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 37.9% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 37.0% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 37.1% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 36.7% | -1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.1% | 48.6% | 49.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 43.5% | 39.7% | 47.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.7% | 36.7% | 38.7% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.43 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1526 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.80 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9738 % change on previous year (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 36.7% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 49.5% in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.7% in 2019.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 4th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of adolescents of official lower secondary school age who are not enrolled in lower secondary school expressed as a percentage of the population of official lower secondary school age.