Average years of schooling among adults in Senegal

Senegal: Average years of schooling among adults was 2.93 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
2.93 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
185th
of 192 countries
All-time high
3 years
in 2018
All-time low
1.38 years
in 2005
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Average years of schooling among adults in Senegal, 1990–2023

01231990200620231990: 2 years1991: 2 years1992: 1.9 years1993: 1.9 years1994: 1.9 years1995: 1.9 years1996: 1.8 years1997: 1.8 years1998: 1.8 years1999: 1.7 years2000: 1.7 years2001: 1.6 years2002: 1.6 years2003: 1.5 years2004: 1.4 years2005: 1.4 years2006: 1.5 years2007: 1.7 years2008: 1.9 years2009: 2 years2010: 2.2 years2011: 2.4 years2012: 2.6 years2013: 2.8 years2014: 2.7 years2015: 2.5 years2016: 2.9 years2017: 2.8 years2018: 3 years2019: 2.8 years2020: 2.9 years2021: 2.9 years2022: 2.9 years2023: 2.9 years

Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for average years of schooling among adults in Senegal is 2.93 years, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of up 5.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average years of schooling among adults in Senegal peaked at 3 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.38 years, in 2005.

That places Senegal 185th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.88 years 1.75 years 2 years 10
2000s 1.65 years 1.38 years 2.05 years 10
2010s 2.67 years 2.22 years 3 years 10
2020s 2.92 years 2.89 years 2.93 years 4

Countries ranked near Senegal

  1. 182 Sierra Leone 3.54 years compare
  2. 183 Burundi 3.47 years compare
  3. 184 Benin 3.19 years compare
  4. 186 Afghanistan 2.51 years compare
  5. 187 Guinea 2.49 years compare
  6. 188 Ethiopia 2.4 years compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More education data for Senegal

All data for Senegal →

Frequently asked questions

What is average years of schooling among adults in Senegal?
Average years of schooling among adults in Senegal was 2.93 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Senegal?
The highest recorded value was 3 years in 2018.
What is the lowest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Senegal?
The lowest recorded value was 1.38 years in 2005.
How does Senegal rank for average years of schooling among adults?
Senegal ranks 185th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
Is average years of schooling among adults rising or falling in Senegal?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Senegal data come from?
The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Average years of schooling among adults
Unit
years
Source
UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
192 places, 6,079 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.