Secondary education, duration in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Secondary education, duration was 6 years in 2025. ▼ Falling
Secondary education, duration in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1970–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for secondary education, duration in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) is 6 years, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, secondary education, duration in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 7 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1989.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 10th of 44 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Secondary education, duration in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7 years | — |
| 1971 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 6.5 years | -7.1% |
| 1983 | 7 years | +7.7% |
| 1984 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6 years | -14.3% |
| 1990 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.85 years | 6 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 6 |
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 97.1% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.004 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 96.0% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 98.2% (2024)
- Labor force, total 526.96 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is secondary education, duration in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Secondary education, duration in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 6 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest secondary education, duration recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 7 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest secondary education, duration recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1989.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for secondary education, duration?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 10th out of 44 groups with data for 2025.
- Is secondary education, duration rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Secondary education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Secondary duration refers to the number of grades (years) in secondary school.