Tertiary education, academic staff in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Tertiary education, academic staff was 25.6% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Tertiary education, academic staff in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1985–2021
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % female.
Analysis
In 2021, tertiary education, academic staff in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 25.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.2% on the previous year and up 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tertiary education, academic staff in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 29.0% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 18.5%, in 1985.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 37th out of 43 groups with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Tertiary education, academic staff in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % female | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 18.5% | — |
| 1986 | 18.8% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 19.7% | +4.7% |
| 1988 | 20.2% | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 21.3% | +5.6% |
| 1990 | 21.7% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 21.8% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 22.4% | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 23.4% | +4.4% |
| 1994 | 25.1% | +7.4% |
| 1995 | 26.0% | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 26.7% | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 27.5% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 28.3% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 29.0% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 27.7% | -4.4% |
| 2001 | 26.6% | -4.2% |
| 2002 | 26.1% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 24.9% | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 23.8% | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 23.4% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 23.2% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 22.8% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 22.0% | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 20.8% | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 19.9% | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 23.7% | +18.9% |
| 2012 | 23.9% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 24.1% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 24.1% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 24.7% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 25.2% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 25.2% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 24.9% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 25.1% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 24.8% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 25.6% | +3.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 19.7% | 18.5% | 21.3% | 5 |
| 1990s | 25.2% | 21.7% | 29.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.1% | 20.8% | 27.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.1% | 19.9% | 25.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.2% | 24.8% | 25.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 97.1% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.004 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 5.14 million (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, per capita 0.3987 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tertiary education, academic staff in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Tertiary education, academic staff in Sub-Saharan Africa was 25.6% in 2021, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest tertiary education, academic staff recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 29.0% in 1999.
- What is the lowest tertiary education, academic staff recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.5% in 1985.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for tertiary education, academic staff?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 37th out of 43 groups with data for 2021.
- Is tertiary education, academic staff rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Tertiary education, academic staff (% female). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) is the share of female academic staff in tertiary education.