Primary education, teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Primary education, teachers was 5.14 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
5.14 million
Change on year
up 0.8%
Rank
20th
of 43 groups
All-time high
5.14 million
in 2024
All-time low
741,638
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024

Primary education, teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1970–2024

1.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M197019972024

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 5.14 million for primary education, teachers in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.

The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 23.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary education, teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 5.14 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 741,638, in 1970.

That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 20th out of 43 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Primary education, teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year

Annual values for Primary education, teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 741,638
1971 754,989 +1.8%
1972 794,557 +5.2%
1973 833,708 +4.9%
1974 891,979 +7.0%
1975 932,461 +4.5%
1976 969,757 +4.0%
1977 1.04 million +7.3%
1978 1.16 million +12.0%
1979 1.28 million +9.6%
1980 1.34 million +4.6%
1981 1.41 million +5.9%
1982 1.49 million +5.6%
1983 1.55 million +3.7%
1984 1.58 million +1.9%
1985 1.57 million -0.4%
1986 1.58 million +0.2%
1987 1.58 million +0.1%
1988 1.62 million +2.7%
1989 1.74 million +7.3%
1990 1.73 million -0.6%
1991 1.80 million +4.2%
1992 1.84 million +2.5%
1993 1.90 million +3.0%
1994 1.89 million -0.5%
1995 1.93 million +2.3%
1996 1.93 million -0.3%
1997 1.94 million +0.9%
1998 2.01 million +3.3%
1999 2.08 million +3.4%
2000 2.12 million +2.3%
2001 2.22 million +4.3%
2002 2.29 million +3.3%
2003 2.46 million +7.5%
2004 2.57 million +4.3%
2005 2.69 million +4.8%
2006 2.77 million +2.9%
2007 2.84 million +2.4%
2008 2.98 million +5.0%
2009 3.11 million +4.6%
2010 3.32 million +6.5%
2011 3.52 million +6.2%
2012 3.53 million +0.2%
2013 3.97 million +12.4%
2014 4.16 million +4.8%
2015 4.28 million +2.8%
2016 4.43 million +3.7%
2017 4.63 million +4.4%
2018 4.82 million +4.2%
2019 4.81 million -0.3%
2020 4.84 million +0.7%
2021 5.02 million +3.7%
2022 4.99 million -0.7%
2023 5.10 million +2.2%
2024 5.14 million +0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 940,115 741,638 1.28 million 10
1980s 1.55 million 1.34 million 1.74 million 10
1990s 1.91 million 1.73 million 2.08 million 10
2000s 2.60 million 2.12 million 3.11 million 10
2010s 4.15 million 3.32 million 4.82 million 10
2020s 5.02 million 4.84 million 5.14 million 5

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

  1. 17 Ethiopia 338,716 compare
  2. 18 Russia 327,102 compare
  3. 19 Thailand 305,368 compare
  4. 20 Turkey 299,967 compare
  5. 21 Argentina 288,776 compare
  6. 22 South Africa 287,310 compare
  7. 23 Iraq 286,890 compare

See the full ranking of 249 places →

More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary education, teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
Primary education, teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 5.14 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary education, teachers recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
The highest recorded value was 5.14 million in 2024.
What is the lowest primary education, teachers recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
The lowest recorded value was 741,638 in 1970.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for primary education, teachers?
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 20th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
Is primary education, teachers rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 education, teachers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Primary education, teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income). Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/primary-education-teachers/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-high-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Primary education, teachers
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
249 places, 9,469 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.