Primary completion rate, male in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Primary completion rate, male was 69.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary completion rate, male in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1972–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of relevant age group.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 69.7% for primary completion rate, male in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary completion rate, male in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 71.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 53.2%, in 1972.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 38th out of 43 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, male in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of relevant age group | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 53.2% | — |
| 1973 | 53.6% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 54.0% | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 55.1% | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 55.8% | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 56.9% | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 58.3% | +2.3% |
| 1979 | 59.6% | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 59.9% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 60.9% | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 61.7% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 61.8% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 63.5% | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 60.9% | -4.1% |
| 1986 | 60.7% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 60.0% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 59.1% | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 58.0% | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 58.5% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 58.7% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 58.0% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 58.6% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 57.7% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 57.7% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 58.1% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 57.8% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 57.0% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 57.0% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 57.7% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 59.5% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 60.7% | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 61.6% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 62.8% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 64.8% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 67.6% | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 67.0% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 66.7% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 69.4% | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 69.1% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 69.1% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 68.3% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 68.1% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 68.3% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 68.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 68.4% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 68.7% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 69.4% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 69.7% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 70.5% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 71.1% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 70.1% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 69.6% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 69.7% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 55.8% | 53.2% | 59.6% | 8 |
| 1980s | 60.6% | 58.0% | 63.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 57.9% | 57.0% | 58.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.8% | 57.7% | 69.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.7% | 68.1% | 69.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.2% | 69.6% | 71.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.43 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1526 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9738 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.80 million (2024)
- Primary 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary completion rate, male in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Primary completion rate, male in Sub-Saharan Africa was 69.7% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary completion rate, male recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 71.1% in 2021.
- What is the lowest primary completion rate, male recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.2% in 1972.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for primary completion rate, male?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 38th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is primary completion rate, male rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. 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, male (% 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.