Teachers in primary education, both sexes in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)

WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income): Teachers in primary education, both sexes was 5.14 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
5.14 million
Change on year
up 0.8%
Rank
60th
of 221 groups
All-time high
5.14 million
in 2024
All-time low
741,638
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024

Teachers in primary education, both sexes in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income), 1970–2024

1.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M197019972024

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for teachers in primary education, both sexes in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) is 5.14 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 23.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, teachers in primary education, both sexes in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) peaked at 5.14 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 741,638, in 1970.

WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 60th of 221 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Teachers in primary education, both sexes in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income), year by year

Annual values for Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number) in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income), 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 741,638
1971 754,989 +1.8%
1972 794,557 +5.2%
1973 833,708 +4.9%
1974 891,979 +7.0%
1975 932,461 +4.5%
1976 969,757 +4.0%
1977 1.04 million +7.3%
1978 1.16 million +12.0%
1979 1.28 million +9.6%
1980 1.34 million +4.6%
1981 1.41 million +5.9%
1982 1.49 million +5.6%
1983 1.55 million +3.7%
1984 1.58 million +1.9%
1985 1.57 million -0.4%
1986 1.58 million +0.2%
1987 1.58 million +0.1%
1988 1.62 million +2.7%
1989 1.74 million +7.3%
1990 1.73 million -0.6%
1991 1.80 million +4.2%
1992 1.84 million +2.5%
1993 1.90 million +3.0%
1994 1.89 million -0.5%
1995 1.93 million +2.3%
1996 1.93 million -0.3%
1997 1.94 million +0.9%
1998 2.01 million +3.3%
1999 2.08 million +3.4%
2000 2.12 million +2.3%
2001 2.22 million +4.3%
2002 2.29 million +3.3%
2003 2.46 million +7.5%
2004 2.57 million +4.3%
2005 2.69 million +4.8%
2006 2.77 million +2.9%
2007 2.84 million +2.4%
2008 2.98 million +5.0%
2009 3.11 million +4.6%
2010 3.32 million +6.5%
2011 3.52 million +6.2%
2012 3.53 million +0.2%
2013 3.97 million +12.4%
2014 4.16 million +4.8%
2015 4.28 million +2.8%
2016 4.43 million +3.7%
2017 4.63 million +4.4%
2018 4.82 million +4.2%
2019 4.81 million -0.3%
2020 4.84 million +0.7%
2021 5.02 million +3.7%
2022 4.99 million -0.7%
2023 5.10 million +2.2%
2024 5.14 million +0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 940,115 741,638 1.28 million 10
1980s 1.55 million 1.34 million 1.74 million 10
1990s 1.91 million 1.73 million 2.08 million 10
2000s 2.60 million 2.12 million 3.11 million 10
2010s 4.15 million 3.32 million 4.82 million 10
2020s 5.02 million 4.84 million 5.14 million 5

Countries ranked near WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)

  1. 57 Netherlands 98,851 compare
  2. 58 Angola 96,016 compare
  3. 59 Chile 94,708 compare
  4. 60 Israel 92,770 compare
  5. 61 Burkina Faso 91,764 compare
  6. 62 Zimbabwe 90,330 compare
  7. 63 Malawi 87,834 compare

See the full ranking of 437 places →

More education data for WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)

All data for WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is teachers in primary education, both sexes in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)?
Teachers in primary education, both sexes in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) was 5.14 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest teachers in primary education, both sexes recorded in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)?
The highest recorded value was 5.14 million in 2024.
What is the lowest teachers in primary education, both sexes recorded in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)?
The lowest recorded value was 741,638 in 1970.
How does WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) rank for teachers in primary education, both sexes?
WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 60th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is teachers in primary education, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income)?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Teachers in primary education, both sexes in WB: Sub-saharan Africa (excluding High Income). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/teachers-in-primary-education-both-sexes-number/wb-sub-saharan-africa-excluding-high-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
437 places, 18,918 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release