School enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: School enrollment, primary was 75.3% in 2009. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1975–2009
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % net.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 75.3% for school enrollment, primary in 2009. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 29.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 75.3% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 44.1%, in 1975.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 39th of 43 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 47.6% | 44.1% | 52.2% | 5 |
| 1980s | 55.6% | 53.1% | 58.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 55.0% | 53.0% | 58.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 68.4% | 60.2% | 75.3% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 97.1% (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- School enrollment, primary in Sub-Saharan Africa was 75.3% in 2009, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school enrollment, primary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 75.3% in 2009.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, primary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.1% in 1975.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for school enrollment, primary?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 39th out of 43 groups with data for 2009.
- Is school enrollment, primary rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.8%. 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, primary (% net). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.