School enrollment, secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): School enrollment, secondary was 45.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % gross.
Analysis
In 2024, school enrollment, secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at 45.9%. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school enrollment, secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 45.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.9%, in 1971.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 41st 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, secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % gross | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 13.2% | — |
| 1971 | 12.9% | -2.6% |
| 1972 | 13.5% | +5.0% |
| 1973 | 13.8% | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 14.0% | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 14.5% | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 14.8% | +1.7% |
| 1977 | 15.3% | +3.5% |
| 1978 | 16.1% | +5.1% |
| 1979 | 17.0% | +5.4% |
| 1980 | 18.1% | +6.8% |
| 1981 | 19.3% | +6.8% |
| 1982 | 20.6% | +6.5% |
| 1983 | 21.7% | +5.6% |
| 1984 | 22.8% | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 23.2% | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 22.8% | -1.8% |
| 1987 | 23.0% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 23.0% | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 22.5% | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 22.6% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 22.9% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 22.8% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 23.0% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 23.2% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 23.7% | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 23.9% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 24.1% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 24.6% | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 24.9% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 25.4% | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 26.7% | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 27.7% | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 28.8% | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 30.4% | +5.3% |
| 2005 | 31.3% | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 32.3% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 33.2% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 35.0% | +5.7% |
| 2009 | 36.8% | +4.9% |
| 2010 | 38.6% | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 39.8% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 41.0% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 43.4% | +5.8% |
| 2014 | 42.3% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 42.9% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 42.5% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 42.9% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 43.2% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 44.0% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 44.7% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 45.3% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 45.4% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 45.7% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 45.9% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.5% | 12.9% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 21.7% | 18.1% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.6% | 22.6% | 24.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.8% | 25.4% | 36.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.1% | 38.6% | 44.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.4% | 44.7% | 45.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9733 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.79 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.42 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1526 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school enrollment, secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- School enrollment, secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 45.9% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school enrollment, secondary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 45.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, secondary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.9% in 1971.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for school enrollment, secondary?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 41st out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school enrollment, secondary rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. 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, secondary (% 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.