Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male was 16.5% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1975–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Sub-Saharan Africa is 16.5%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.4% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 50.9% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 16.5%, in 2019.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 6th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
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, male in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 50.9% | — |
| 1976 | 50.1% | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 48.3% | -3.6% |
| 1978 | 46.4% | -3.9% |
| 1979 | 43.8% | -5.6% |
| 1980 | 41.7% | -4.8% |
| 1981 | 39.9% | -4.4% |
| 1982 | 38.7% | -2.9% |
| 1983 | 38.3% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 38.9% | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 39.9% | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 41.5% | +3.9% |
| 1987 | 42.4% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 43.3% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 42.4% | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 43.1% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 42.4% | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 42.6% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 42.3% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 41.9% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 40.5% | -3.4% |
| 1996 | 41.3% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 38.8% | -6.2% |
| 1998 | 38.2% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 37.9% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 35.4% | -6.4% |
| 2001 | 33.4% | -5.7% |
| 2002 | 31.5% | -5.6% |
| 2003 | 29.2% | -7.4% |
| 2004 | 27.5% | -5.8% |
| 2005 | 25.3% | -7.9% |
| 2006 | 23.7% | -6.4% |
| 2007 | 20.5% | -13.7% |
| 2008 | 19.8% | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 19.4% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 19.8% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 18.6% | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 18.6% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 17.8% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 17.6% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 17.5% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 17.2% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 16.9% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 16.9% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 16.5% | -2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 47.9% | 43.8% | 50.9% | 5 |
| 1980s | 40.7% | 38.3% | 43.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.9% | 37.9% | 43.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.6% | 19.4% | 35.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.7% | 16.5% | 19.8% | 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 children of primary school age, male in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Sub-Saharan Africa was 16.5% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 50.9% in 1975.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.5% in 2019.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 6th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. 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 children of primary school age, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The number of male students of the official age for primary education is subtracted from the total male population of the same age. The result is expressed as a percentage of the male population of the official age for primary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/