Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female was 20.8% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1975–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 20.8% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 60.7% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 20.8%, 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, female in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 60.7% | — |
| 1976 | 59.7% | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 57.2% | -4.1% |
| 1978 | 54.6% | -4.6% |
| 1979 | 51.4% | -5.8% |
| 1980 | 49.1% | -4.5% |
| 1981 | 46.9% | -4.5% |
| 1982 | 45.3% | -3.5% |
| 1983 | 44.9% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 45.4% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 46.7% | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 48.4% | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 49.5% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 50.1% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 49.8% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 50.4% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 49.3% | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 49.6% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 49.1% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 48.9% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 48.8% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 50.3% | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 47.3% | -6.0% |
| 1998 | 46.1% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 44.9% | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 42.7% | -4.9% |
| 2001 | 40.5% | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 38.8% | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 36.0% | -7.3% |
| 2004 | 33.8% | -6.0% |
| 2005 | 31.5% | -6.9% |
| 2006 | 29.3% | -6.9% |
| 2007 | 27.3% | -6.9% |
| 2008 | 25.9% | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 25.1% | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 25.2% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 23.9% | -5.3% |
| 2012 | 23.1% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 22.4% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 22.0% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 22.2% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 21.6% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 21.3% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 21.4% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 20.8% | -2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 56.7% | 51.4% | 60.7% | 5 |
| 1980s | 47.6% | 44.9% | 50.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.5% | 44.9% | 50.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 33.1% | 25.1% | 42.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.4% | 20.8% | 25.2% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 2 Democratic Republic of Congo 64.1% compare
- 3 Equatorial Guinea 54.8% compare
- 4 Eritrea 49.8% compare
- 5 Niger 44.9% compare
- 6 Mali 44.2% compare
- 7 Haiti 42.6% compare
- 8 Central African Republic 40.8% compare
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, female in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 20.8% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 60.7% in 1975.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.8% in 2019.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female?
- 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, female rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.9%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The number of female students of the official age for primary education is subtracted from the total female population of the same age. The result is expressed as a percentage of the female population of the official age for primary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/