School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)
WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income): School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female was 8.59 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income), 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) recorded 8.59 years for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) peaked at 8.59 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3.47 years, in 1970.
WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 186th 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 WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income), year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.47 years | — |
| 1971 | 3.51 years | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 3.63 years | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 3.7 years | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 3.85 years | +3.9% |
| 1975 | 3.96 years | +3.0% |
| 1976 | 4.03 years | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 4.25 years | +5.4% |
| 1978 | 4.52 years | +6.4% |
| 1979 | 4.83 years | +6.8% |
| 1980 | 5.05 years | +4.6% |
| 1981 | 5.3 years | +5.0% |
| 1982 | 5.48 years | +3.4% |
| 1983 | 5.48 years | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 5.43 years | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 5.4 years | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 5.28 years | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 5.27 years | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 5.19 years | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 5.28 years | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 5.21 years | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 5.33 years | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 5.31 years | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 5.35 years | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 5.36 years | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 5.38 years | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 5.27 years | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 5.47 years | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 5.6 years | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 5.7 years | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 5.86 years | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 6.02 years | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 6.18 years | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 6.42 years | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 6.7 years | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 6.95 years | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 7.15 years | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 7.24 years | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 7.48 years | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 7.66 years | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 7.8 years | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 7.93 years | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 8.1 years | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 8.31 years | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 8.22 years | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 8.17 years | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 8.17 years | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 8.25 years | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 8.3 years | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 8.43 years | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 8.55 years | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 8.56 years | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 8.5 years | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 8.57 years | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 8.59 years | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.98 years | 3.47 years | 4.83 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.32 years | 5.05 years | 5.48 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.4 years | 5.21 years | 5.7 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.77 years | 5.86 years | 7.66 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.17 years | 7.8 years | 8.43 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.55 years | 8.5 years | 8.59 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)
- 183 Tanzania, United Republic of 8.76 years compare
- 184 Afghanistan 8.58 years compare
- 185 Angola 8.41 years compare
- 186 Mauritania 8.31 years compare
- 187 Burundi 8.21 years compare
- 188 Nigeria 8.17 years compare
- 189 Lao People's Democratic Republic 8.14 years compare
More education data for WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 3.88 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 39.08 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 42.34 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.19 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 26.36 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.56 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 10.53 million (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 5.90 million (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.34 % change on previous year (2021)
All data for WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) was 8.59 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The highest recorded value was 8.59 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.47 years in 1970.
- How does WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female?
- WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 186th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female rising or falling in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) 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