Primary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Primary completion rate, female was 68.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1972–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of relevant age group.
Analysis
In 2024, primary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 68.1%.
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 peaked at 68.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 39.2%, in 1972.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 37th of 43 groups on this measure, 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, 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 | 42.6% | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 43.8% | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 45.3% | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 46.0% | +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% | -1.5% |
| 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 | 47.9% | +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% | 46.0% | 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
- 34 Uruguay 101.6% compare
- 35 Ecuador 101.5% compare
- 36 Saint Lucia 101.3% compare
- 37 Brunei Darussalam 101.3% compare
- 38 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 101.0% compare
- 39 United Arab Emirates 100.9% compare
- 40 Lithuania 100.4% compare
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.80 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9738 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (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 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 97.1% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 5.14 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Primary completion rate, female in Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- The highest recorded value was 68.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest primary completion rate, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.2% in 1972.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for primary completion rate, female?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 37th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is primary completion rate, female rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 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 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.