School age population, lower secondary education, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa

UNICEF: West and Central Africa: School age population, lower secondary education, female was 23.42 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
23.42 million
Change on year
up 0.9%
Rank
92nd
of 221 groups
All-time high
23.42 million
in 2024
All-time low
6.14 million
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024

School age population, lower secondary education, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa, 1970–2024

5.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M197019972024

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

UNICEF: West and Central Africa recorded 23.42 million for school age population, lower secondary education, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 33.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa peaked at 23.42 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.14 million, in 1970.

UNICEF: West and Central Africa ranks 92nd of 221 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.

School age population, lower secondary education, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa, year by year

Annual values for School age population, lower secondary education, female (number) in UNICEF: West and Central Africa, 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 6.14 million
1971 6.32 million +2.8%
1972 6.50 million +2.8%
1973 6.68 million +2.9%
1974 6.89 million +3.2%
1975 7.11 million +3.1%
1976 7.33 million +3.1%
1977 7.55 million +3.1%
1978 7.76 million +2.7%
1979 7.98 million +2.9%
1980 8.22 million +2.9%
1981 8.46 million +3.0%
1982 8.71 million +3.0%
1983 8.99 million +3.1%
1984 9.24 million +2.8%
1985 9.54 million +3.2%
1986 8.08 million -15.3%
1987 8.36 million +3.5%
1988 8.66 million +3.6%
1989 8.97 million +3.5%
1990 9.28 million +3.5%
1991 9.41 million +1.3%
1992 9.73 million +3.4%
1993 10.03 million +3.1%
1994 10.30 million +2.7%
1995 10.59 million +2.9%
1996 10.91 million +3.0%
1997 11.21 million +2.8%
1998 11.50 million +2.6%
1999 11.78 million +2.4%
2000 12.06 million +2.4%
2001 12.36 million +2.5%
2002 12.68 million +2.6%
2003 13.02 million +2.6%
2004 13.36 million +2.6%
2005 13.70 million +2.6%
2006 14.07 million +2.7%
2007 14.45 million +2.7%
2008 14.91 million +3.2%
2009 15.31 million +2.7%
2010 15.68 million +2.4%
2011 16.03 million +2.2%
2012 16.47 million +2.7%
2013 16.98 million +3.1%
2014 17.53 million +3.2%
2015 18.11 million +3.3%
2016 18.67 million +3.1%
2017 19.25 million +3.1%
2018 19.88 million +3.2%
2019 20.54 million +3.3%
2020 21.21 million +3.3%
2021 21.88 million +3.2%
2022 22.55 million +3.0%
2023 23.20 million +2.9%
2024 23.42 million +0.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 7.03 million 6.14 million 7.98 million 10
1980s 8.72 million 8.08 million 9.54 million 10
1990s 10.47 million 9.28 million 11.78 million 10
2000s 13.59 million 12.06 million 15.31 million 10
2010s 17.92 million 15.68 million 20.54 million 10
2020s 22.45 million 21.21 million 23.42 million 5

Countries ranked near UNICEF: West and Central Africa

  1. 89 Sierra Leone 307,329 compare
  2. 90 Lao People's Democratic Republic 297,233 compare
  3. 91 Tunisia 296,010 compare
  4. 92 Netherlands 284,084 compare
  5. 93 Dominican Republic 280,841 compare
  6. 94 Belarus 277,434 compare
  7. 95 Mauritania 253,761 compare

See the full ranking of 441 places →

More education data for UNICEF: West and Central Africa

All data for UNICEF: West and Central Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, lower secondary education, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
School age population, lower secondary education, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa was 23.42 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, female recorded in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
The highest recorded value was 23.42 million in 2024.
What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, female recorded in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 6.14 million in 1970.
How does UNICEF: West and Central Africa rank for school age population, lower secondary education, female?
UNICEF: West and Central Africa ranks 92nd out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is school age population, lower secondary education, female rising or falling in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 33.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this UNICEF: West and Central Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, lower secondary education, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, lower secondary education, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-lower-secondary-education-female-number-2/unicef-west-and-central-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, lower secondary education, female (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
441 places, 20,444 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release