School enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): School enrollment, preprimary was 28.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1973–2020
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % gross.
Analysis
In 2020, school enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 28.1%.
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 (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 28.8% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 13.3%, in 1999.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 35th out of 43 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 (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % gross | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 14.2% | — |
| 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 | 15.4% | +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 | 16.4% | +8.9% |
| 2003 | 17.8% | +9.1% |
| 2004 | 19.2% | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 19.8% | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 21.3% | +7.3% |
| 2007 | 19.9% | -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% | 14.2% | 15.1% | 7 |
| 1980s | 15.0% | 14.6% | 15.4% | 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 (IDA & IBRD countries)
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 97.1% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.004 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 96.0% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 98.2% (2024)
- Labor force, female 46.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- School enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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 (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 28.8% in 2013.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, preprimary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.3% in 1999.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for school enrollment, preprimary?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 35th out of 43 groups with data for 2020.
- Is school enrollment, preprimary rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- 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 (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.