School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa
MDG: Sub-saharan Africa: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes was 2.82 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
2.82 years
Change on year
up 0.1%
Rank
195th
of 221 groups
All-time high
2.82 years
in 2024
All-time low
0.7811 years
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa is 2.82 years, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 2.82 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.7811 years, in 1970.
That places MDG: Sub-saharan Africa 195th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.7811 years | — |
| 1971 | 0.7869 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 0.8196 years | +4.2% |
| 1973 | 0.8414 years | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 0.8558 years | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 0.8898 years | +4.0% |
| 1976 | 0.9237 years | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 0.9553 years | +3.4% |
| 1978 | 1.01 years | +5.2% |
| 1979 | 1.06 years | +5.4% |
| 1980 | 1.13 years | +6.5% |
| 1981 | 1.21 years | +6.8% |
| 1982 | 1.27 years | +5.7% |
| 1983 | 1.35 years | +5.6% |
| 1984 | 1.42 years | +5.7% |
| 1985 | 1.46 years | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 1.39 years | -4.7% |
| 1987 | 1.4 years | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 1.4 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1.37 years | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 1.38 years | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 1.4 years | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 1.42 years | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 1.45 years | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 1.47 years | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 1.49 years | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 1.48 years | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 1.49 years | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 1.49 years | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 1.51 years | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 1.53 years | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 1.61 years | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 1.67 years | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 1.73 years | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 1.82 years | +5.4% |
| 2005 | 1.87 years | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 1.94 years | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 2 years | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 2.11 years | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 2.22 years | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 2.34 years | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 2.42 years | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 2.48 years | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 2.63 years | +6.1% |
| 2014 | 2.56 years | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 2.61 years | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 2.59 years | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 2.62 years | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 2.64 years | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 2.7 years | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 2.74 years | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 2.79 years | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 2.79 years | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 2.81 years | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 2.82 years | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.8919 years | 0.7811 years | 1.06 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.34 years | 1.13 years | 1.46 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.46 years | 1.38 years | 1.51 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.85 years | 1.53 years | 2.22 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.56 years | 2.34 years | 2.7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.79 years | 2.74 years | 2.82 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near MDG: Sub-saharan Africa
More education data for MDG: Sub-saharan Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 10.53 million (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 42.42 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 26.38 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.54 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.63 million (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.60 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 39.14 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa was 2.82 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.82 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7811 years in 1970.
- How does MDG: Sub-saharan Africa rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- MDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 195th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in MDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this MDG: Sub-saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release