School age population, early childhood educational development in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)

ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126): School age population, early childhood educational development was 33.58 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
33.58 million
Change on year
up 1.3%
Rank
39th
of 187 groups
All-time high
34.04 million
in 2021
All-time low
23.02 million
in 1998
Years of data
27
1998–2024

School age population, early childhood educational development in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126), 1998–2024

010.0M20.0M30.0M1998201120241998: 23.0M1999: 23.8M2000: 24.2M2001: 24.5M2002: 24.0M2003: 24.6M2004: 24.3M2005: 25.1M2006: 25.9M2007: 26.6M2008: 27.4M2009: 28.1M2010: 28.9M2011: 29.6M2012: 30.3M2013: 31.0M2014: 31.6M2015: 32.1M2016: 33.5M2017: 33.8M2018: 33.9M2019: 34.0M2020: 34.0M2021: 34.0M2022: 33.1M2023: 33.2M2024: 33.6M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) recorded 33.58 million for school age population, early childhood educational development in 2024.

The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 6.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, early childhood educational development in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) peaked at 34.04 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 23.02 million, in 1998.

That places ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) 39th out of 187 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

School age population, early childhood educational development in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126), year by year

Annual values for School age population, early childhood educational development programmes, both sexes (number) in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126), 1998 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1998 23.02 million
1999 23.80 million +3.4%
2000 24.24 million +1.9%
2001 24.48 million +1.0%
2002 24.00 million -1.9%
2003 24.65 million +2.7%
2004 24.33 million -1.3%
2005 25.10 million +3.2%
2006 25.85 million +3.0%
2007 26.62 million +2.9%
2008 27.35 million +2.8%
2009 28.12 million +2.8%
2010 28.95 million +3.0%
2011 29.61 million +2.3%
2012 30.32 million +2.4%
2013 30.98 million +2.2%
2014 31.56 million +1.9%
2015 32.12 million +1.8%
2016 33.53 million +4.4%
2017 33.82 million +0.9%
2018 33.93 million +0.3%
2019 33.99 million +0.2%
2020 34.02 million +0.1%
2021 34.04 million +0.1%
2022 33.09 million -2.8%
2023 33.15 million +0.2%
2024 33.58 million +1.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 23.41 million 23.02 million 23.80 million 2
2000s 25.47 million 24.00 million 28.12 million 10
2010s 31.88 million 28.95 million 33.99 million 10
2020s 33.58 million 33.09 million 34.04 million 5

Countries ranked near ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)

  1. 36 Saudi Arabia 510,377 compare
  2. 37 Mauritania 502,802 compare
  3. 38 Lao People's Democratic Republic 473,037 compare
  4. 39 Ukraine 448,585 compare
  5. 40 Namibia 404,214 compare
  6. 41 Nicaragua 391,482 compare
  7. 42 El Salvador 391,208 compare

See the full ranking of 291 places →

More education data for ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)

All data for ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, early childhood educational development in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
School age population, early childhood educational development in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) was 33.58 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, early childhood educational development recorded in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
The highest recorded value was 34.04 million in 2021.
What is the lowest school age population, early childhood educational development recorded in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
The lowest recorded value was 23.02 million in 1998.
How does ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) rank for school age population, early childhood educational development?
ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) ranks 39th out of 187 groups with data for 2024.
Is school age population, early childhood educational development rising or falling in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126)?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126) data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, early childhood educational development programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, early childhood educational development in ECA: Sub-saharan Africa (unsdcode:98126). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-early-childhood-educational-development-programmes-both-sexes-number-2/eca-sub-saharan-africa-unsdcode-98126/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, early childhood educational development programmes, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
291 places, 5,922 data points, 1972–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release