School enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): School enrollment, primary was 97.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % gross.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) is 97.1%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 97.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 53.5%, in 1971.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 35th of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % gross | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 54.9% | — |
| 1971 | 53.5% | -2.6% |
| 1972 | 54.7% | +2.2% |
| 1973 | 55.9% | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 58.1% | +3.9% |
| 1975 | 59.7% | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 60.8% | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 64.0% | +5.4% |
| 1978 | 67.7% | +5.7% |
| 1979 | 72.0% | +6.4% |
| 1980 | 75.1% | +4.2% |
| 1981 | 77.6% | +3.4% |
| 1982 | 79.7% | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 79.6% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 78.8% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 76.4% | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 73.7% | -3.5% |
| 1987 | 72.2% | -2.1% |
| 1988 | 71.2% | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 71.9% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 71.1% | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 72.1% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 72.0% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 73.3% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 73.5% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 74.0% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 72.0% | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 75.4% | +4.6% |
| 1998 | 76.7% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 77.1% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 79.5% | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 81.3% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 83.5% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 86.0% | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 88.0% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 90.3% | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 92.1% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 92.9% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 94.2% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 94.6% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 94.4% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 95.7% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 96.5% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 96.6% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 96.2% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 94.6% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 94.9% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 95.4% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 96.2% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 97.1% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 97.9% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 97.1% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 96.0% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 96.8% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 97.1% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 60.1% | 53.5% | 72.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 75.6% | 71.2% | 79.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 73.7% | 71.1% | 77.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 88.2% | 79.5% | 94.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 95.8% | 94.4% | 97.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.0% | 96.0% | 97.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.42 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.79 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- School enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 97.1% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school enrollment, primary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 97.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, primary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.5% in 1971.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for school enrollment, primary?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 35th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school enrollment, primary rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. 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 Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School enrollment, primary (% 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. 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.