Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Senegal
Senegal: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 85.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Senegal, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Senegal is 85.3%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Senegal peaked at 86.6% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 36.6%, in 1972.
Senegal ranks 195th of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Senegal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 36.7% | — |
| 1972 | 36.6% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 37.3% | +1.9% |
| 1974 | 38.0% | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 38.2% | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 37.4% | -2.1% |
| 1977 | 40.0% | +7.2% |
| 1978 | 38.7% | -3.2% |
| 1979 | 39.9% | +3.1% |
| 1980 | 40.8% | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 42.0% | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 43.6% | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 46.0% | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 47.7% | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 48.9% | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 50.5% | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 51.0% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 51.9% | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 51.5% | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 51.9% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 52.4% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 52.3% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 51.9% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 53.1% | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 54.2% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 57.8% | +6.8% |
| 1997 | 62.0% | +7.2% |
| 1998 | 65.5% | +5.7% |
| 1999 | 65.0% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 68.5% | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 70.6% | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 71.6% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 75.9% | +6.0% |
| 2004 | 78.7% | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 80.7% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 80.5% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 83.9% | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 84.4% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 84.0% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 83.9% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 86.6% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 86.4% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 82.7% | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 83.7% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 84.9% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 83.3% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 84.9% | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 84.1% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 84.3% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 85.5% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 85.3% | -0.1% |
Senegal compared with similar countries
- Senegal's 85.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 102.7%, 83% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Senegal's 85.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 85% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 38.1% | 36.6% | 40.0% | 9 |
| 1980s | 47.4% | 40.8% | 51.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 56.6% | 51.9% | 65.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.9% | 68.5% | 84.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 84.5% | 82.7% | 86.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 84.8% | 84.1% | 85.5% | 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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Senegal?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Senegal was 85.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 86.6% in 2011.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.6% in 1972.
- How does Senegal rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Senegal ranks 195th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Senegal data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.