School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in UNICEF: Africa
UNICEF: Africa: School age population, tertiary education, both sexes was 139.05 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
139.05 million
Change on year
up 1.0%
Rank
39th
of 221 groups
All-time high
139.05 million
in 2024
All-time low
33.59 million
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in UNICEF: Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
UNICEF: Africa recorded 139.05 million for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 25.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in UNICEF: Africa peaked at 139.05 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 33.59 million, in 1970.
UNICEF: Africa ranks 39th of 221 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in UNICEF: Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 33.59 million | — |
| 1971 | 34.42 million | +2.5% |
| 1972 | 35.15 million | +2.1% |
| 1973 | 36.12 million | +2.8% |
| 1974 | 37.17 million | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 38.29 million | +3.0% |
| 1976 | 39.34 million | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 40.41 million | +2.7% |
| 1978 | 41.53 million | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 42.78 million | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 44.04 million | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 45.39 million | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 46.83 million | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 48.32 million | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 49.65 million | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 51.15 million | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 52.84 million | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 54.34 million | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 55.91 million | +2.9% |
| 1989 | 57.71 million | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 59.56 million | +3.2% |
| 1991 | 61.31 million | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 63.00 million | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 64.77 million | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 66.38 million | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 68.82 million | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 70.77 million | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 72.62 million | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 74.85 million | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 77.27 million | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 79.61 million | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 81.95 million | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 84.31 million | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 86.65 million | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 89.06 million | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 91.26 million | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 93.60 million | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 95.74 million | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 97.89 million | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 99.98 million | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 102.03 million | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 104.06 million | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 106.06 million | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 108.39 million | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 110.54 million | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 112.84 million | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 115.33 million | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 117.77 million | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 120.64 million | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 123.65 million | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 126.87 million | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 130.35 million | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 134.00 million | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 137.60 million | +2.7% |
| 2024 | 139.05 million | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 37.88 million | 33.59 million | 42.78 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 50.62 million | 44.04 million | 57.71 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 67.93 million | 59.56 million | 77.27 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 90.00 million | 79.61 million | 99.98 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 112.13 million | 102.03 million | 123.65 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 133.57 million | 126.87 million | 139.05 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: Africa
More education data for UNICEF: Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 19.22 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 54.20 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.87 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 29.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.94 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 9.98 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 9.24 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 50.51 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in UNICEF: Africa?
- School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in UNICEF: Africa was 139.05 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 139.05 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.59 million in 1970.
- How does UNICEF: Africa rank for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes?
- UNICEF: Africa ranks 39th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Africa 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