School age population, early childhood educational development in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa
UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa: School age population, early childhood educational development was 17.24 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
17.24 million
Change on year
up 1.4%
Rank
32nd
of 187 groups
All-time high
17.44 million
in 2021
All-time low
11.85 million
in 1998
Years of data
17
1998–2024
School age population, early childhood educational development in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, school age population, early childhood educational development in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa stood at 17.24 million.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, early childhood educational development in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 17.44 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 11.85 million, in 1998.
That places UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa 32nd out of 187 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
School age population, early childhood educational development in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 11.85 million | — |
| 1999 | 12.25 million | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 12.47 million | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 12.59 million | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 12.36 million | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 12.68 million | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 12.52 million | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 16.45 million | +31.4% |
| 2016 | 17.16 million | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 17.31 million | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 17.37 million | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 17.41 million | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 17.43 million | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 17.44 million | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 16.96 million | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 17.00 million | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 17.24 million | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.05 million | 11.85 million | 12.25 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.52 million | 12.36 million | 12.68 million | 5 |
| 2010s | 17.14 million | 16.45 million | 17.41 million | 5 |
| 2020s | 17.21 million | 16.96 million | 17.44 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa
- 29 Kazakhstan 422,170 compare
- 30 Republic of Korea 373,583 compare
- 31 Haiti 372,750 compare
- 32 Chile 360,072 compare
- 33 North Korea 352,419 compare
- 34 Israel 282,908 compare
- 35 Romania 270,019 compare
More education data for UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.35 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 5.90 million (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.7869 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 39.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 3.52 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 26.38 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.63 million (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, early childhood educational development in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa?
- School age population, early childhood educational development in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa was 17.24 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, early childhood educational development recorded in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 17.44 million in 2021.
- What is the lowest school age population, early childhood educational development recorded in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.85 million in 1998.
- How does UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa rank for school age population, early childhood educational development?
- UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 32nd out of 187 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, early childhood educational development rising or falling in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: 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, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release