Share of population with no formal education in Benin
Benin: Share of population with no formal education was 37.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population with no formal education in Benin, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population with no formal education in Benin is 37.4%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of down 28.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in Benin peaked at 100.0% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 37.4%, in 2020.
That places Benin 8th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Share of population with no formal education in Benin, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 100.0% | — |
| 1875 | 99.9% | -0.1% |
| 1880 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 99.8% | -0.1% |
| 1900 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 99.7% | -0.1% |
| 1910 | 99.6% | -0.1% |
| 1915 | 99.5% | -0.1% |
| 1920 | 99.4% | -0.1% |
| 1925 | 97.9% | -1.5% |
| 1930 | 96.5% | -1.4% |
| 1935 | 95.3% | -1.2% |
| 1940 | 92.8% | -2.6% |
| 1945 | 91.7% | -1.2% |
| 1950 | 91.2% | -0.5% |
| 1955 | 89.6% | -1.8% |
| 1960 | 88.1% | -1.7% |
| 1965 | 86.7% | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 85.6% | -1.3% |
| 1975 | 84.6% | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 81.9% | -3.2% |
| 1985 | 76.8% | -6.2% |
| 1990 | 71.8% | -6.5% |
| 1995 | 66.4% | -7.5% |
| 2000 | 61.2% | -7.8% |
| 2005 | 57.6% | -5.9% |
| 2010 | 52.3% | -9.2% |
| 2015 | 44.9% | -14.1% |
| 2020 | 37.4% | -16.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 100.0% | 99.9% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 99.9% | 99.9% | 99.9% | 2 |
| 1890s | 99.8% | 99.8% | 99.9% | 2 |
| 1900s | 99.8% | 99.7% | 99.8% | 2 |
| 1910s | 99.5% | 99.5% | 99.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 98.7% | 97.9% | 99.4% | 2 |
| 1930s | 95.9% | 95.3% | 96.5% | 2 |
| 1940s | 92.2% | 91.7% | 92.8% | 2 |
| 1950s | 90.4% | 89.6% | 91.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 87.4% | 86.7% | 88.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 85.1% | 84.6% | 85.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 79.3% | 76.8% | 81.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 69.1% | 66.4% | 71.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 59.4% | 57.6% | 61.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 48.6% | 44.9% | 52.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 37.4% | 37.4% | 37.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Benin
- 5 Mozambique 45.5% compare
- 6 Senegal 42.0% compare
- 7 Yemen 38.0% compare
- 9 Liberia 36.0% compare
- 10 Sierra Leone 35.1% compare
- 11 Afghanistan 33.9% compare
More education data for Benin
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 929,099 (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.18 % change on previous year (2022)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 59,742 (2022)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.08 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 423,019 (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.95 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 506,080 (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.2543 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 170,241 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.56 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in Benin?
- Share of population with no formal education in Benin was 37.4% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with no formal education recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.4% in 2020.
- How does Benin rank for share of population with no formal education?
- Benin ranks 8th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.