School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
SDG: Sub-saharan Africa: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female was 8.68 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
8.68 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
176th
of 221 groups
All-time high
8.68 years
in 2024
All-time low
3.43 years
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa stood at 8.68 years. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 8.68 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3.43 years, in 1970.
SDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 176th of 221 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.43 years | — |
| 1971 | 3.47 years | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 3.59 years | +3.4% |
| 1973 | 3.67 years | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 3.82 years | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 3.94 years | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 4.01 years | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 4.24 years | +5.7% |
| 1978 | 4.53 years | +6.7% |
| 1979 | 4.85 years | +7.1% |
| 1980 | 5.08 years | +4.7% |
| 1981 | 5.34 years | +5.2% |
| 1982 | 5.53 years | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 5.53 years | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 5.48 years | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 5.44 years | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 5.31 years | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 5.3 years | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 5.22 years | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 5.31 years | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 5.24 years | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 5.37 years | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 5.35 years | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 5.38 years | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 5.4 years | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 5.42 years | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 5.3 years | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 5.51 years | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 5.65 years | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 5.76 years | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 5.92 years | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 6.08 years | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 6.24 years | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 6.49 years | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 6.78 years | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 7.02 years | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 7.23 years | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 7.33 years | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 7.57 years | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 7.74 years | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 7.89 years | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 8.03 years | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 8.2 years | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 8.41 years | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 8.31 years | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 8.25 years | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 8.25 years | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 8.32 years | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 8.38 years | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 8.51 years | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 8.63 years | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 8.64 years | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 8.58 years | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 8.65 years | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 8.68 years | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.95 years | 3.43 years | 4.85 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.35 years | 5.08 years | 5.53 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.44 years | 5.24 years | 5.76 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.84 years | 5.92 years | 7.74 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.25 years | 7.89 years | 8.51 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.63 years | 8.58 years | 8.68 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
- 173 Cameroon 9.6 years compare
- 174 Mozambique 9.58 years compare
- 175 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 9.56 years compare
- 176 El Salvador 9.53 years compare
- 177 San Marino 9.44 years compare
- 178 Senegal 9.29 years compare
- 179 Tajikistan 9.14 years compare
More education data for SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.8202 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 40.94 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.68 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 37.60 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.49 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 97.68 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 78.55 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25.10 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.94 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa was 8.68 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8.68 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.43 years in 1970.
- How does SDG: Sub-saharan Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female?
- SDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 176th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female rising or falling in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this SDG: Sub-saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release