Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 18.7% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1975–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at 18.7%. That is the lowest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 55.8% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 18.7%, in 2019.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 5th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 55.8% | — |
| 1976 | 54.9% | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 52.8% | -3.8% |
| 1978 | 50.5% | -4.3% |
| 1979 | 47.6% | -5.8% |
| 1980 | 45.4% | -4.6% |
| 1981 | 43.4% | -4.4% |
| 1982 | 42.0% | -3.2% |
| 1983 | 41.6% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 42.2% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 43.3% | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 44.9% | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 46.0% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 46.7% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 46.1% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 46.8% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 45.9% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 46.1% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 45.7% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 45.4% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 44.6% | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 45.8% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 43.0% | -6.1% |
| 1998 | 42.1% | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 41.3% | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 39.0% | -5.6% |
| 2001 | 36.9% | -5.4% |
| 2002 | 35.2% | -4.8% |
| 2003 | 32.6% | -7.3% |
| 2004 | 30.7% | -5.9% |
| 2005 | 28.4% | -7.4% |
| 2006 | 26.5% | -6.7% |
| 2007 | 23.9% | -9.9% |
| 2008 | 22.9% | -4.2% |
| 2009 | 22.2% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 22.5% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 21.2% | -5.7% |
| 2012 | 20.8% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 20.1% | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 19.7% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 19.8% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 19.4% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 19.1% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 19.2% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 18.7% | -2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 52.3% | 47.6% | 55.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 44.2% | 41.6% | 46.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 44.7% | 41.3% | 46.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.8% | 22.2% | 39.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.1% | 18.7% | 22.5% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.42 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 196.79 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9733 % change on previous year (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 18.7% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 55.8% in 1975.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.7% in 2019.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 5th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The number of students of the official age for primary education is subtracted from the total population of the same age. The result is expressed as a percentage of the population of the official age for primary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/