Share of children who have completed primary school in Senegal
Senegal: Share of children who have completed primary school was 65.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of children who have completed primary school in Senegal, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Senegal recorded 65.7% for share of children who have completed primary school in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.3% on the previous year and up 35.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Senegal peaked at 65.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 12.5%, in 1981.
Senegal ranks 146th of 165 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Senegal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 12.5% | — |
| 1982 | 12.9% | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 13.4% | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 13.9% | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 14.5% | +4.2% |
| 1986 | 15.0% | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 15.5% | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 15.9% | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 16.2% | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 16.5% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 16.7% | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 16.9% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 16.9% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 16.9% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 16.8% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 16.5% | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 16.5% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 16.7% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 17.1% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 17.9% | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 18.9% | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 20.4% | +7.4% |
| 2003 | 22.0% | +8.2% |
| 2004 | 24.0% | +8.9% |
| 2005 | 26.2% | +9.3% |
| 2006 | 28.7% | +9.3% |
| 2007 | 31.3% | +9.0% |
| 2008 | 33.9% | +8.3% |
| 2009 | 36.4% | +7.6% |
| 2010 | 39.0% | +6.9% |
| 2011 | 41.4% | +6.2% |
| 2012 | 43.6% | +5.4% |
| 2013 | 45.6% | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 47.2% | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 48.6% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 49.7% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 50.7% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 51.7% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 53.0% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 54.6% | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 56.8% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 59.1% | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 61.5% | +4.0% |
| 2024 | 63.6% | +3.5% |
| 2025 | 65.7% | +3.3% |
Senegal compared with similar countries
- Senegal's 65.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1%, 76% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Senegal's 65.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 91% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.4% | 12.5% | 16.2% | 9 |
| 1990s | 16.7% | 16.5% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.0% | 17.9% | 36.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.0% | 39.0% | 53.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.2% | 54.6% | 65.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Senegal
More education data for Senegal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 55,703 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 64,252 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 162,919 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 181,550 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.28 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.35 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4401 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.127 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Senegal?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Senegal was 65.7% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 65.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.5% in 1981.
- How does Senegal rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Senegal ranks 146th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Senegal data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.