School age population, early childhood educational development in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa

SDG: Sub-saharan Africa: School age population, early childhood educational development was 16.84 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
16.84 million
Change on year
up 1.3%
Rank
25th
of 187 groups
All-time high
17.07 million
in 2021
All-time low
11.58 million
in 1998
Years of data
12
1998–2024

School age population, early childhood educational development in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, 1998–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M1998201120241998: 11.6M2014: 15.8M2015: 16.1M2016: 16.8M2017: 16.9M2018: 17.0M2019: 17.0M2020: 17.0M2021: 17.1M2022: 16.6M2023: 16.6M2024: 16.8M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

SDG: Sub-saharan Africa recorded 16.84 million for school age population, early childhood educational development in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, early childhood educational development in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 17.07 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 11.58 million, in 1998.

SDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 25th of 187 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.

School age population, early childhood educational development in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for School age population, early childhood educational development programmes, female (number) in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, 1998 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1998 11.58 million
2014 15.80 million +36.5%
2015 16.09 million +1.8%
2016 16.79 million +4.4%
2017 16.94 million +0.9%
2018 17.00 million +0.4%
2019 17.03 million +0.2%
2020 17.05 million +0.1%
2021 17.07 million +0.1%
2022 16.61 million -2.7%
2023 16.63 million +0.2%
2024 16.84 million +1.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 11.58 million 11.58 million 11.58 million 1
2010s 16.61 million 15.80 million 17.03 million 6
2020s 16.84 million 16.61 million 17.07 million 5

Countries ranked near SDG: Sub-saharan Africa

  1. 22 Canada 534,941 compare
  2. 23 Cambodia 519,449 compare
  3. 24 Senegal 518,565 compare
  4. 25 Rwanda 507,836 compare
  5. 26 Spain 490,837 compare
  6. 27 Australia 437,562 compare
  7. 28 Venezuela 403,213 compare

See the full ranking of 291 places →

More education data for SDG: Sub-saharan Africa

All data for SDG: Sub-saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, early childhood educational development in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
School age population, early childhood educational development in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa was 16.84 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, early childhood educational development recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 17.07 million in 2021.
What is the lowest school age population, early childhood educational development recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 11.58 million in 1998.
How does SDG: Sub-saharan Africa rank for school age population, early childhood educational development?
SDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 25th out of 187 groups with data for 2024.
Is school age population, early childhood educational development rising or falling in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this SDG: Sub-saharan Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, early childhood educational development programmes, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, early childhood educational development in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-early-childhood-educational-development-programmes-female-number-2/sdg-sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, early childhood educational development programmes, female (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