School enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): School enrollment, preprimary was 28.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1973–2020
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % gross.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) is 28.1%, measured in 2020.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 33.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 28.8% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 13.3%, in 1999.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 39th out of 45 groups with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
School enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % gross | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 14.1% | — |
| 1974 | 14.3% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 14.4% | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 14.5% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 14.6% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 14.9% | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 15.1% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 15.2% | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 15.1% | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 14.9% | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 14.8% | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 14.7% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 14.6% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 14.8% | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 15.1% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 15.3% | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 15.3% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 15.4% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 15.4% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 15.4% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 15.4% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 15.2% | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 15.3% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 15.6% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 15.1% | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 15.3% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 13.3% | -13.3% |
| 2000 | 14.5% | +9.3% |
| 2001 | 15.0% | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 16.3% | +8.9% |
| 2003 | 17.8% | +9.1% |
| 2004 | 19.2% | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 19.8% | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 21.3% | +7.3% |
| 2007 | 19.8% | -6.8% |
| 2008 | 19.7% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 21.0% | +6.9% |
| 2010 | 21.1% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 23.0% | +8.8% |
| 2012 | 26.3% | +14.3% |
| 2013 | 28.8% | +9.7% |
| 2014 | 23.7% | -17.9% |
| 2015 | 25.5% | +7.9% |
| 2016 | 26.7% | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 27.2% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 27.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 27.4% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 28.1% | +2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.6% | 14.1% | 15.1% | 7 |
| 1980s | 15.0% | 14.6% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.1% | 13.3% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.5% | 14.5% | 21.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.7% | 21.1% | 28.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.1% | 28.1% | 28.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.79 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9733 % 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 0.1526 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.42 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- School enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 28.1% in 2020, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school enrollment, preprimary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 28.8% in 2013.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, preprimary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.3% in 1999.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for school enrollment, preprimary?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 39th out of 45 groups with data for 2020.
- Is school enrollment, preprimary rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School enrollment, preprimary (% gross). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. Preprimary education refers to programs at the initial stage of organized instruction, designed primarily to introduce very young children to a school-type environment and to provide a bridge between home and school.