School enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): School enrollment, primary was 97.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % gross.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 97.1% for school enrollment, primary in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is 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 (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 97.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 53.5%, in 1971.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 34th out of 43 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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 (IDA & IBRD countries), 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 (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 31 Afghanistan 112.2% compare
- 32 Albania 111.5% compare
- 33 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 111.4% compare
- 34 India 111.0% compare
- 35 Portugal 111.0% compare
- 36 Grenada 110.6% compare
- 37 Sao Tome and Principe 110.4% compare
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- 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, total 526.96 million (2025)
- Labor force, total, per capita 0.3987 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- School enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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 (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 97.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, primary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.5% in 1971.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for school enrollment, primary?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 34th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school enrollment, primary rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- 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 (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.