School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104): School age population, tertiary education, both sexes was 18.54 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
18.54 million
Change on year
up 0.9%
Rank
167th
of 221 groups
All-time high
18.54 million
in 2024
All-time low
4.73 million
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) recorded 18.54 million for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes 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 17.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) peaked at 18.54 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.73 million, in 1970.
That places ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) 167th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.73 million | — |
| 1971 | 4.85 million | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 5.00 million | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 5.20 million | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 5.43 million | +4.4% |
| 1975 | 5.66 million | +4.2% |
| 1976 | 5.86 million | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 6.05 million | +3.3% |
| 1978 | 6.25 million | +3.3% |
| 1979 | 6.43 million | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 6.63 million | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 6.92 million | +4.4% |
| 1982 | 7.19 million | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 7.46 million | +3.7% |
| 1984 | 7.63 million | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 7.86 million | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 8.11 million | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 8.35 million | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 8.62 million | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 8.91 million | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 9.22 million | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 9.50 million | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 9.71 million | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 9.88 million | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 9.90 million | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 10.30 million | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 10.60 million | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 10.94 million | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 11.35 million | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 11.69 million | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 12.02 million | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 12.38 million | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 12.80 million | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 13.24 million | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 13.72 million | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 14.18 million | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 14.58 million | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 14.81 million | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 15.01 million | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 15.14 million | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 15.23 million | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 15.34 million | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 15.47 million | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 15.63 million | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 15.78 million | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 15.99 million | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 16.27 million | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 16.28 million | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16.59 million | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 16.96 million | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 17.32 million | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 17.68 million | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 18.05 million | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 18.37 million | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 18.54 million | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.55 million | 4.73 million | 6.43 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.77 million | 6.63 million | 8.91 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.31 million | 9.22 million | 11.69 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.79 million | 12.02 million | 15.14 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.96 million | 15.23 million | 16.96 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.99 million | 17.32 million | 18.54 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
- 164 Reunion 61,831 compare
- 165 Suriname 54,436 compare
- 166 Cyprus 48,651 compare
- 167 Cape Verde 45,552 compare
- 168 Western Sahara 41,194 compare
- 169 Macao 40,300 compare
- 170 Montenegro 39,054 compare
More education data for ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.27 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.9 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.01 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.24 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 0.2683 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 545,537 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 7.14 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 329,590 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 875,127 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) was 18.54 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The highest recorded value was 18.54 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.73 million in 1970.
- How does ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) rank for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes?
- ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 167th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes rising or falling in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, tertiary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release