Share of the population with at least some formal education in Senegal
Senegal: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 58.0% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Senegal, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Senegal recorded 58.0% for share of the population with at least some formal education in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 25.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Senegal peaked at 58.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1870.
That places Senegal 106th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Senegal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.1% | — |
| 1875 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.2% | +100.0% |
| 1895 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.3% | +50.0% |
| 1905 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.5% | +66.7% |
| 1915 | 0.6% | +20.0% |
| 1920 | 7.3% | +1116.7% |
| 1925 | 13.2% | +80.8% |
| 1930 | 17.7% | +34.1% |
| 1935 | 26.9% | +52.0% |
| 1940 | 30.5% | +13.4% |
| 1945 | 33.8% | +10.8% |
| 1950 | 36.6% | +8.3% |
| 1955 | 39.0% | +6.6% |
| 1960 | 41.3% | +5.9% |
| 1965 | 42.7% | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 45.6% | +6.8% |
| 1975 | 48.8% | +7.0% |
| 1980 | 47.7% | -2.3% |
| 1985 | 45.9% | -3.8% |
| 1990 | 43.4% | -5.4% |
| 1995 | 40.6% | -6.5% |
| 2000 | 35.5% | -12.6% |
| 2005 | 30.0% | -15.5% |
| 2010 | 46.3% | +54.3% |
| 2015 | 52.3% | +13.0% |
| 2020 | 58.0% | +10.9% |
Senegal compared with similar countries
- Senegal's 58.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 85.2%, 68% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Senegal's 58.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 78.0%, 74% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with at least some formal education in Senegal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | +1116.7% | 0.6% | 7.3% |
| 1890 | +100.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 1925 | +80.8% | 7.3% | 13.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 10.2% | 7.3% | 13.2% | 2 |
| 1930s | 22.3% | 17.7% | 26.9% | 2 |
| 1940s | 32.1% | 30.5% | 33.8% | 2 |
| 1950s | 37.8% | 36.6% | 39.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 42.0% | 41.3% | 42.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 47.2% | 45.6% | 48.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 46.8% | 45.9% | 47.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 42.0% | 40.6% | 43.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 32.8% | 30.0% | 35.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 49.3% | 46.3% | 52.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 58.0% | 58.0% | 58.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Senegal
More education data for Senegal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 55,703 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 64,252 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 162,919 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 181,550 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.28 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.35 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4401 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.127 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Senegal?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Senegal was 58.0% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 58.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1870.
- How does Senegal rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Senegal ranks 106th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Senegal data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.