School life expectancy, primary, female in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa
UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa: School life expectancy, primary, female was 5.92 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
5.92 years
Change on year
up 0.4%
Rank
52nd
of 221 groups
All-time high
5.96 years
in 2020
All-time low
2.84 years
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary, female in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, female in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa stood at 5.92 years.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, female in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 5.96 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.84 years, in 1970.
That places UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa 52nd out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, female in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.84 years | — |
| 1971 | 2.88 years | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 2.98 years | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 3.03 years | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 3.16 years | +4.5% |
| 1975 | 3.26 years | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 3.31 years | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 3.51 years | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 3.74 years | +6.6% |
| 1979 | 4.01 years | +7.3% |
| 1980 | 4.19 years | +4.4% |
| 1981 | 4.38 years | +4.5% |
| 1982 | 4.5 years | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 4.48 years | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 4.39 years | -1.9% |
| 1985 | 4.26 years | -2.9% |
| 1986 | 4.13 years | -3.0% |
| 1987 | 4.09 years | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 4 years | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 4.1 years | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 4.01 years | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 4.1 years | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 4.07 years | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 4.1 years | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 4.1 years | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 4.11 years | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 4 years | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 4.2 years | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 4.32 years | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 4.42 years | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 4.57 years | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 4.65 years | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 4.78 years | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 4.96 years | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 5.17 years | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 5.35 years | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 5.5 years | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 5.55 years | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 5.65 years | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 5.7 years | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 5.72 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 5.76 years | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 5.84 years | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 5.89 years | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 5.85 years | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 5.75 years | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 5.77 years | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 5.8 years | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 5.83 years | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 5.9 years | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 5.96 years | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 5.93 years | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 5.86 years | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 5.89 years | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 5.92 years | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.27 years | 2.84 years | 4.01 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.25 years | 4 years | 4.5 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.14 years | 4 years | 4.42 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.19 years | 4.57 years | 5.7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.81 years | 5.72 years | 5.9 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.91 years | 5.86 years | 5.96 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa
More education data for UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.35 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 5.90 million (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.7869 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 39.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 3.52 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 26.38 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.63 million (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, female in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary, female in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa was 5.92 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, female recorded in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.96 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, female recorded in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.84 years in 1970.
- How does UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary, female?
- UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 52nd out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, female rising or falling in UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: Sub-saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release