School enrollment, secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: School enrollment, secondary, female was 44.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % gross.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 44.5% for school enrollment, secondary, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school enrollment, secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 44.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 1971.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 37th of 43 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, secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % gross | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 10.7% | — |
| 1971 | 10.4% | -3.3% |
| 1972 | 11.0% | +5.4% |
| 1973 | 11.3% | +2.8% |
| 1974 | 11.4% | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 11.7% | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 11.8% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 12.1% | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 12.7% | +5.1% |
| 1979 | 13.3% | +4.3% |
| 1980 | 14.1% | +6.0% |
| 1981 | 15.1% | +7.6% |
| 1982 | 16.2% | +7.1% |
| 1983 | 16.5% | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 16.9% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 18.3% | +7.8% |
| 1986 | 19.0% | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 19.5% | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 19.6% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 19.2% | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 19.5% | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 19.9% | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 20.0% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 20.2% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 20.4% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 21.2% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 21.4% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 21.7% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 22.2% | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 22.4% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 22.7% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 23.8% | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 24.3% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 25.4% | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 26.7% | +5.1% |
| 2005 | 27.6% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 28.5% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 29.1% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 31.2% | +7.1% |
| 2009 | 33.0% | +5.9% |
| 2010 | 34.9% | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 36.1% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 37.7% | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 40.3% | +6.7% |
| 2014 | 39.3% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 40.0% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 39.8% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 40.4% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 40.9% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 41.8% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 42.8% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 43.5% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 43.8% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 44.2% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 44.5% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.6% | 10.4% | 13.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.4% | 14.1% | 19.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.9% | 19.5% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.2% | 22.7% | 33.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.1% | 34.9% | 41.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.7% | 42.8% | 44.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- 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 526.96 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school enrollment, secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- School enrollment, secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa was 44.5% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school enrollment, secondary, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 44.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, secondary, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 1971.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for school enrollment, secondary, female?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 37th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school enrollment, secondary, female rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.1%. 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, secondary, female (% 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. Secondary education completes the provision of basic education that began at the primary level, and aims at laying the foundations for lifelong learning and human development, by offering more subject- or skill-oriented instruction using more specialized teachers.