Primary education, pupils in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Primary education, pupils was 48.4% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Primary education, pupils in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970–2018
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % female.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 48.4% for primary education, pupils in 2018.
The figure is up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 48.4% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 41.4%, in 1970.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 25th of 41 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Primary education, pupils in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % female | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 41.4% | — |
| 1971 | 41.6% | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 41.9% | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 42.2% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 42.5% | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 42.7% | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 42.7% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 43.2% | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 43.6% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 43.7% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 44.1% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 44.3% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 44.3% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 44.3% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 44.4% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 44.5% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 44.7% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 45.1% | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 44.5% | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 45.3% | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 45.0% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 45.2% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 45.4% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 45.4% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 45.4% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 45.2% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 45.3% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 45.3% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 45.2% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 45.5% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 45.6% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 45.8% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 45.8% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 46.0% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 46.2% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 46.5% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 46.8% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 47.1% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 47.3% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 47.5% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 47.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 47.5% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 47.9% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 48.1% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 48.2% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 48.4% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 48.4% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 48.4% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 48.4% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 42.5% | 41.4% | 43.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 44.6% | 44.1% | 45.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.3% | 45.0% | 45.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.5% | 45.6% | 47.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.1% | 47.5% | 48.4% | 9 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 22 Kenya 49.7% compare
- 23 Saint Lucia 49.6% compare
- 24 Monaco 49.6% compare
- 25 Bahamas 49.6% compare
- 26 Zimbabwe 49.5% compare
- 27 Saudi Arabia 49.5% compare
- 28 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 49.5% compare
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 97.1% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.004 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 96.0% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 98.2% (2024)
- Labor force, total, per capita 0.3987 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Primary education, pupils in Sub-Saharan Africa was 48.4% in 2018, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 48.4% in 2015.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.4% in 1970.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for primary education, pupils?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 25th out of 41 groups with data for 2018.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils (% female). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Female pupils as a percentage of total pupils at primary level include enrollments in public and private schools.