School enrollment, primary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: School enrollment, primary, female was 72.4% in 2009. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, primary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1975–2009
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % net.
Analysis
In 2009, school enrollment, primary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 72.4%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 33.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school enrollment, primary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 72.4% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 37.1%, in 1975.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 37th of 41 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
School enrollment, primary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % net | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 37.1% | — |
| 1976 | 38.1% | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 40.4% | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 42.8% | +5.9% |
| 1979 | 45.9% | +7.2% |
| 1980 | 48.7% | +6.2% |
| 1981 | 51.5% | +5.6% |
| 1982 | 53.3% | +3.6% |
| 1983 | 53.7% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 53.1% | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 51.9% | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 50.2% | -3.3% |
| 1987 | 48.9% | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 48.1% | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 48.5% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 47.9% | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 49.2% | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 49.2% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 49.9% | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 50.3% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 50.9% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 49.4% | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 52.3% | +5.9% |
| 1998 | 53.3% | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 54.4% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 56.5% | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 58.3% | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 59.8% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 62.4% | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 64.4% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 66.6% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 68.7% | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 70.7% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 72.0% | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 72.4% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 40.8% | 37.1% | 45.9% | 5 |
| 1980s | 50.8% | 48.1% | 53.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 50.7% | 47.9% | 54.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.2% | 56.5% | 72.4% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- 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, per capita 0.3987 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school enrollment, primary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- School enrollment, primary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa was 72.4% in 2009, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school enrollment, primary, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 72.4% in 2009.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, primary, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.1% in 1975.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for school enrollment, primary, female?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 37th out of 41 groups with data for 2009.
- Is school enrollment, primary, female 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 UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School enrollment, primary, female (% net). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official school age who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age. Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art, and music.