Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes was 1.71 million number in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
1.71 million number
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
25th
of 43 groups
All-time high
1.82 million number
in 2015
All-time low
754,131 number
in 1998
Years of data
21
1998–2018

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1998–2018

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1998200820181998: 754.1k number1999: 805.0k number2000: 911.4k number2001: 997.7k number2002: 1.1M number2003: 1.2M number2004: 1.2M number2005: 1.4M number2006: 1.4M number2007: 1.4M number2008: 1.5M number2009: 1.5M number2010: 1.6M number2011: 1.6M number2012: 1.6M number2013: 1.7M number2014: 1.8M number2015: 1.8M number2016: 1.7M number2017: 1.7M number2018: 1.7M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2018, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at 1.71 million number.

That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 16.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 1.82 million number in 2015 and was at its lowest, 754,131 number, in 1998.

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 25th of 43 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1998 to 2018.
Year number Change
1998 754,131 number
1999 805,013 number +6.7%
2000 911,432 number +13.2%
2001 997,692 number +9.5%
2002 1.09 million number +8.8%
2003 1.16 million number +7.3%
2004 1.24 million number +6.3%
2005 1.40 million number +13.0%
2006 1.40 million number +0.3%
2007 1.43 million number +1.6%
2008 1.46 million number +2.7%
2009 1.52 million number +4.0%
2010 1.58 million number +3.5%
2011 1.57 million number -0.2%
2012 1.62 million number +3.0%
2013 1.73 million number +6.6%
2014 1.77 million number +2.8%
2015 1.82 million number +2.4%
2016 1.71 million number -6.0%
2017 1.69 million number -0.9%
2018 1.71 million number +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 779,572 number 754,131 number 805,013 number 2
2000s 1.26 million number 911,432 number 1.52 million number 10
2010s 1.69 million number 1.57 million number 1.82 million number 9

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

  1. 22 United Kingdom 284,245 number compare
  2. 23 Saudi Arabia 256,004 number compare
  3. 24 Greece 224,478 number compare
  4. 25 Bangladesh 203,373 number compare
  5. 26 Morocco 188,014 number
  6. 27 Ghana 175,090 number compare
  7. 28 Mexico 174,609 number compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 1.71 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
The highest recorded value was 1.82 million number in 2015.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
The lowest recorded value was 754,131 number in 1998.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes?
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 25th out of 43 groups with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-5-programmes-both-sexes-number/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-high-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
188 places, 2,883 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in public and private short-cycle tertiary education programmes (ISCED 5).