Persistence to last grade of primary, total in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Persistence to last grade of primary, total was 61.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Persistence to last grade of primary, total in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of cohort.
Analysis
The most recent figure for persistence to last grade of primary, total in Sub-Saharan Africa is 61.5%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persistence to last grade of primary, total in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 66.6% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 55.6%, in 2013.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 38th of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.
Persistence to last grade of primary, total in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of cohort | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 61.4% | — |
| 1971 | 62.4% | +1.6% |
| 1972 | 62.4% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 63.7% | +2.2% |
| 1974 | 64.8% | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 64.1% | -1.1% |
| 1976 | 64.6% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 65.5% | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 64.9% | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 65.1% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 65.0% | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 65.1% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 66.2% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 66.0% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 66.0% | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 66.3% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 66.6% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 65.8% | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 64.8% | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 65.0% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 65.5% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 64.9% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 66.1% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 65.3% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 63.8% | -2.4% |
| 1995 | 64.2% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 62.5% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 62.3% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 62.6% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 62.4% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 64.1% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 65.6% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 63.7% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 61.3% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 62.0% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 62.4% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 58.3% | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 57.1% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 60.5% | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 56.4% | -6.9% |
| 2010 | 55.6% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 57.6% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 55.9% | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 55.6% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 56.1% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 57.2% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 57.5% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 59.3% | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 60.2% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 61.2% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 62.6% | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 62.3% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 62.0% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 61.5% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 63.9% | 61.4% | 65.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 65.7% | 64.8% | 66.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 64.0% | 62.3% | 66.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.1% | 56.4% | 65.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.6% | 55.6% | 61.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.1% | 61.5% | 62.6% | 4 |
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 persistence to last grade of primary, total in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Persistence to last grade of primary, total in Sub-Saharan Africa was 61.5% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest persistence to last grade of primary, total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 66.6% in 1986.
- What is the lowest persistence to last grade of primary, total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.6% in 2013.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for persistence to last grade of primary, total?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 38th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is persistence to last grade of primary, total rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Persistence to last grade of primary, total (% of cohort). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Persistence to last grade of primary is the percentage of children enrolled in the first grade of primary school who eventually reach the last grade of primary education. The estimate is based on the reconstructed cohort method.