Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Senegal
Senegal: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 75.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Senegal, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children in primary school age who are in school in Senegal is 75.5%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Senegal peaked at 77.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
Senegal ranks 187th of 209 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Senegal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1830 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1835 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1840 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1845 | 0.0% | +33.3% |
| 1850 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1855 | 0.1% | +40.0% |
| 1860 | 0.1% | +28.6% |
| 1865 | 0.1% | +33.3% |
| 1870 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1875 | 0.2% | +33.3% |
| 1880 | 0.2% | +25.0% |
| 1885 | 0.3% | +32.0% |
| 1890 | 0.4% | +30.3% |
| 1895 | 0.6% | +30.2% |
| 1900 | 0.7% | +28.6% |
| 1905 | 0.9% | +30.6% |
| 1910 | 1.2% | +29.8% |
| 1915 | 1.6% | +29.5% |
| 1920 | 2.0% | +29.1% |
| 1925 | 2.6% | +29.4% |
| 1930 | 3.4% | +28.8% |
| 1935 | 4.4% | +28.8% |
| 1940 | 4.5% | +3.9% |
| 1945 | 7.0% | +52.7% |
| 1950 | 9.3% | +34.4% |
| 1955 | 14.7% | +57.5% |
| 1960 | 19.8% | +34.3% |
| 1965 | 29.3% | +48.1% |
| 1970 | 30.0% | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 30.0% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 29.1% | -2.9% |
| 1979 | 31.6% | +8.5% |
| 1980 | 32.7% | +3.4% |
| 1981 | 33.8% | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 35.4% | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 37.3% | +5.3% |
| 1984 | 38.1% | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 38.7% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 43.0% | +10.9% |
| 1988 | 43.7% | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 43.2% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 42.7% | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 42.8% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 44.1% | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 48.5% | +10.0% |
| 1997 | 52.8% | +9.0% |
| 1998 | 55.6% | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 54.8% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 58.2% | +6.2% |
| 2003 | 65.6% | +12.8% |
| 2004 | 64.2% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 65.3% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 68.1% | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 70.5% | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 71.4% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 71.6% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 72.4% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 73.0% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 75.9% | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 75.2% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 75.8% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 75.7% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 75.3% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 77.1% | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 75.1% | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 75.1% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 75.9% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 75.5% | -0.6% |
Senegal compared with similar countries
- Senegal's 75.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.7%, 81% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Senegal's 75.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.5%, 89% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Senegal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | +100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1955 | +57.5% | 9.3% | 14.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 2 |
| 1910s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 2 |
| 1930s | 3.9% | 3.4% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 1940s | 5.8% | 4.5% | 7.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 12.0% | 9.3% | 14.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 24.5% | 19.8% | 29.3% | 2 |
| 1970s | 30.2% | 29.1% | 31.6% | 4 |
| 1980s | 38.4% | 32.7% | 43.7% | 9 |
| 1990s | 48.7% | 42.7% | 55.6% | 7 |
| 2000s | 66.9% | 58.2% | 71.6% | 8 |
| 2010s | 74.8% | 72.4% | 75.9% | 7 |
| 2020s | 75.7% | 75.1% | 77.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Senegal
More education data for Senegal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 55,703 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 64,252 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 162,919 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 181,550 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.28 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.35 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4401 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.127 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Senegal?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Senegal was 75.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 77.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Senegal rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Senegal ranks 187th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Senegal data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 70 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.