Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 38.1% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1998–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 38.1% for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 55.6% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 38.1%, in 2019.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 5th of 45 groups on this measure, 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, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 55.6% | — |
| 1999 | 54.7% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 53.4% | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 52.8% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 51.4% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 50.4% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 49.1% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 47.6% | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 46.1% | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 45.8% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 44.3% | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 42.7% | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 40.8% | -4.5% |
| 2011 | 40.1% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 39.6% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 40.2% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 40.8% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 40.8% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 39.9% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 38.8% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 38.6% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 38.1% | -1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 55.1% | 54.7% | 55.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 48.4% | 42.7% | 53.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.8% | 38.1% | 40.8% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.43 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.80 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9738 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sub-Saharan Africa was 38.1% 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?
- The highest recorded value was 55.6% in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.1% in 2019.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 5th 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?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of females of official lower secondary school age who are not enrolled in lower secondary school expressed as a percentage of the female population of official lower secondary school age.