School enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: School enrollment, primary was 97.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % gross.
Analysis
In 2024, school enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 97.1%.
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 peaked at 97.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 53.5%, in 1971.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 36th out of 45 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.
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
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers 5.14 million (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 96.0% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 98.2% (2024)
- Labor force, female 46.9% (2025)
- Labor force, total 526.96 million (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 0.9577 GPI (2020)
- School enrollment, secondary 45.9% (2024)
- Probability of dying among children ages 5-9 years 8.6 per 1,000 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- School enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- The highest recorded value was 97.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, primary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.5% in 1971.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for school enrollment, primary?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 36th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school enrollment, primary rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 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 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 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. 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.