Primary education, teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Primary education, teachers was 5.14 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Primary education, teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2024, primary education, teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 5.14 million. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of 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 peaked at 5.14 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 742,019, in 1970.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 18th out of 45 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, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 742,019 | — |
| 1971 | 755,382 | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 794,966 | +5.2% |
| 1973 | 834,129 | +4.9% |
| 1974 | 892,395 | +7.0% |
| 1975 | 932,889 | +4.5% |
| 1976 | 970,192 | +4.0% |
| 1977 | 1.04 million | +7.3% |
| 1978 | 1.17 million | +12.0% |
| 1979 | 1.28 million | +9.6% |
| 1980 | 1.34 million | +4.6% |
| 1981 | 1.42 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 | 1.95 million | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 2.01 million | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 2.08 million | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 2.13 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 | 3.12 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 940,529 | 742,019 | 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 | 2.61 million | 2.13 million | 3.12 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
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1526 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.43 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Primary education, teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- The highest recorded value was 5.14 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest primary education, teachers recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 742,019 in 1970.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for primary education, teachers?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 18th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is primary education, teachers rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 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 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.