School age population, early childhood educational development in WB: Sub-saharan Africa
WB: 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
27
1998–2024
School age population, early childhood educational development in WB: Sub-saharan Africa, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, early childhood educational development in WB: Sub-saharan Africa is 17.24 million, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, early childhood educational development in WB: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 17.44 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 11.85 million, in 1998.
That places WB: 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 27 years of available data.
School age population, early childhood educational development in WB: 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% |
| 2005 | 12.91 million | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 13.29 million | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 13.68 million | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 14.05 million | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 14.44 million | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 14.86 million | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 15.19 million | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 15.55 million | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 15.88 million | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 16.16 million | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 16.45 million | +1.8% |
| 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 | 13.10 million | 12.36 million | 14.44 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.33 million | 14.86 million | 17.41 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.21 million | 16.96 million | 17.44 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near WB: 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 WB: Sub-saharan Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 3.52 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 10.53 million (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 3.88 % change on previous year (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.54 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.60 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 42.35 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.19 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 26.37 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.35 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, early childhood educational development in WB: Sub-saharan Africa?
- School age population, early childhood educational development in WB: 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 WB: 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 WB: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.85 million in 1998.
- How does WB: Sub-saharan Africa rank for school age population, early childhood educational development?
- WB: 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 WB: 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 WB: 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.
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CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release