School age population, early childhood education, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa

UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa: School age population, early childhood education, female was 26.07 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
26.07 million
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
91st
of 194 groups
All-time high
26.07 million
in 2024
All-time low
13.53 million
in 1997
Years of data
26
1997–2024

School age population, early childhood education, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, 1997–2024

010.0M20.0M30.0M1997201020241997: 13.5M1998: 15.5M1999: 17.8M2000: 18.1M2001: 18.4M2002: 18.2M2003: 18.5M2004: 18.9M2005: 19.3M2006: 19.8M2007: 19.4M2008: 19.9M2009: 20.4M2010: 21.0M2011: 21.5M2012: 21.9M2013: 22.4M2014: 22.7M2015: 23.0M2018: 25.1M2019: 25.4M2020: 25.0M2021: 25.4M2022: 25.4M2023: 25.9M2024: 26.1M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2024, school age population, early childhood education, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa stood at 26.07 million. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, early childhood education, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa peaked at 26.07 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13.53 million, in 1997.

That places UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa 91st out of 194 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

School age population, early childhood education, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, year by year

Annual values for School age population, early childhood education, female (number) in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa, 1997 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1997 13.53 million
1998 15.45 million +14.2%
1999 17.79 million +15.1%
2000 18.10 million +1.7%
2001 18.40 million +1.7%
2002 18.22 million -1.0%
2003 18.53 million +1.7%
2004 18.89 million +1.9%
2005 19.31 million +2.2%
2006 19.76 million +2.3%
2007 19.41 million -1.7%
2008 19.89 million +2.4%
2009 20.41 million +2.6%
2010 21.00 million +2.9%
2011 21.50 million +2.4%
2012 21.95 million +2.1%
2013 22.41 million +2.1%
2014 22.68 million +1.2%
2015 23.00 million +1.4%
2018 25.14 million +9.3%
2019 25.38 million +0.9%
2020 25.02 million -1.4%
2021 25.42 million +1.6%
2022 25.40 million -0.1%
2023 25.90 million +2.0%
2024 26.07 million +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 15.59 million 13.53 million 17.79 million 3
2000s 19.09 million 18.10 million 20.41 million 10
2010s 22.88 million 21.00 million 25.38 million 8
2020s 25.56 million 25.02 million 26.07 million 5

Countries ranked near UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa

  1. 88 Sweden 339,582 compare
  2. 89 El Salvador 336,559 compare
  3. 90 Honduras 331,985 compare
  4. 91 Paraguay 330,216 compare
  5. 92 Sri Lanka 319,064 compare
  6. 93 Azerbaijan 315,630 compare
  7. 94 Hungary 313,606 compare

See the full ranking of 401 places →

More education data for UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa

All data for UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, early childhood education, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
School age population, early childhood education, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa was 26.07 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, early childhood education, female recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 26.07 million in 2024.
What is the lowest school age population, early childhood education, female recorded in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 13.53 million in 1997.
How does UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa rank for school age population, early childhood education, female?
UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa ranks 91st out of 194 groups with data for 2024.
Is school age population, early childhood education, female rising or falling in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, early childhood education, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, early childhood education, female in UNICEF: Eastern and Southern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-early-childhood-education-female-number-2/unicef-eastern-and-southern-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, early childhood education, female (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
401 places, 9,806 data points, 1971–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release