Primary education, pupils, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Primary education, pupils, per square kilometre was 8.15 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Primary education, pupils, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1970–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary education, pupils, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) is 8.15 units per square kilometre, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 8.15 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.38 units per square kilometre, in 1970.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 18th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Primary education, pupils, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.38 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1971 | 1.38 units per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 1.45 units per square kilometre | +5.0% |
| 1973 | 1.52 units per square kilometre | +4.9% |
| 1974 | 1.63 units per square kilometre | +6.8% |
| 1975 | 1.71 units per square kilometre | +5.1% |
| 1976 | 1.79 units per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 1977 | 1.93 units per square kilometre | +8.0% |
| 1978 | 2.1 units per square kilometre | +8.6% |
| 1979 | 2.3 units per square kilometre | +9.5% |
| 1980 | 2.47 units per square kilometre | +7.2% |
| 1981 | 2.62 units per square kilometre | +6.3% |
| 1982 | 2.77 units per square kilometre | +5.6% |
| 1983 | 2.84 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 2.89 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 2.89 units per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 2.87 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 2.91 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 2.95 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 3.07 units per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 3.11 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 3.24 units per square kilometre | +4.1% |
| 1992 | 3.32 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 3.3 units per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 3.38 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 3.5 units per square kilometre | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 3.49 units per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 3.75 units per square kilometre | +7.5% |
| 1998 | 3.92 units per square kilometre | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 4.04 units per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 4.26 units per square kilometre | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 4.47 units per square kilometre | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 4.7 units per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 2003 | 4.97 units per square kilometre | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 5.18 units per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 5.45 units per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 5.69 units per square kilometre | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 5.95 units per square kilometre | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 6.19 units per square kilometre | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 6.38 units per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 6.54 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 6.81 units per square kilometre | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 6.32 units per square kilometre | -7.3% |
| 2013 | 6.51 units per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 6.66 units per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 6.74 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 6.94 units per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 7.17 units per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 7.4 units per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 7.64 units per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 7.86 units per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 7.95 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 8 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 8.15 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.72 units per square kilometre | 1.38 units per square kilometre | 2.3 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.83 units per square kilometre | 2.47 units per square kilometre | 3.07 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.51 units per square kilometre | 3.11 units per square kilometre | 4.04 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.32 units per square kilometre | 4.26 units per square kilometre | 6.38 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.87 units per square kilometre | 6.32 units per square kilometre | 7.64 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.99 units per square kilometre | 7.86 units per square kilometre | 8.15 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 15 Comoros 64.58 units per square kilometre compare
- 16 Bermuda 62.54 units per square kilometre compare
- 17 Lebanon 51.24 units per square kilometre compare
- 18 Malawi 49.04 units per square kilometre compare
- 19 Israel 47.96 units per square kilometre compare
- 20 Tuvalu 47.27 units per square kilometre compare
- 21 Mauritius 44.57 units per square kilometre compare
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.79 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (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)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1526 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.42 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Primary education, pupils, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 8.15 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils, per square kilometre recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 8.15 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils, per square kilometre recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.38 units per square kilometre in 1970.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for primary education, pupils, per square kilometre?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 18th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is primary education, pupils, per square kilometre rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.2%. 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 Statizoid (derived), published as part of Primary education, pupils, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Primary education, pupils divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Primary education, pupils ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Primary education, pupils Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Primary education, pupils divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.