Primary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Primary completion rate, female was 68.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1972–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of relevant age group.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) is 68.1%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 68.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 39.2%, in 1972.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 41st out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Primary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of relevant age group | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 39.2% | — |
| 1973 | 39.6% | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 40.0% | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 40.8% | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 41.5% | +1.7% |
| 1977 | 42.5% | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 43.8% | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 45.3% | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 45.9% | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 47.0% | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 47.7% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 48.5% | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 50.5% | +4.3% |
| 1985 | 48.7% | -3.7% |
| 1986 | 48.8% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 48.5% | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 47.8% | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 46.9% | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 47.5% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 47.9% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 47.4% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 48.3% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 47.7% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 47.8% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 48.3% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 48.1% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 47.6% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 47.7% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 47.8% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 49.2% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 50.1% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 51.2% | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 51.9% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 54.1% | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 56.7% | +4.9% |
| 2007 | 56.7% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 58.2% | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 61.9% | +6.2% |
| 2010 | 62.6% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 62.2% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 63.1% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 63.1% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 63.8% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 64.2% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 65.0% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 65.5% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 66.4% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 66.8% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 67.6% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 68.6% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 67.8% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 67.9% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 68.1% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 41.6% | 39.2% | 45.3% | 8 |
| 1980s | 48.0% | 45.9% | 50.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.8% | 47.4% | 48.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.8% | 47.8% | 61.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.3% | 62.2% | 66.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.0% | 67.6% | 68.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 38 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 101.0% compare
- 39 United Arab Emirates 100.9% compare
- 40 Lithuania 100.4% compare
- 41 Estonia 100.3% compare
- 42 Croatia 100.2% compare
- 43 Cape Verde 100.1% compare
- 44 Argentina 99.9% compare
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.79 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.42 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9733 % 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 0.1526 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Primary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 68.1% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary completion rate, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 68.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest primary completion rate, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.2% in 1972.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for primary completion rate, female?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 41st out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is primary completion rate, female rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Primary completion rate, or gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, is the number of new entrants (enrollments minus repeaters) in the last grade of primary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education. Data limitations preclude adjusting for students who drop out during the final year of primary education.