School enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: School enrollment, preprimary was 28.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa, 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 is 28.1%, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it 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 peaked at 28.8% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 13.3%, in 1999.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 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, 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
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 97.1% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.004 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 5.14 million (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, total 526.96 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- School enrollment, preprimary in Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- The highest recorded value was 28.8% in 2013.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, preprimary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.3% in 1999.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for school enrollment, preprimary?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 35th out of 43 groups with data for 2020.
- Is school enrollment, preprimary rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 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 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.