Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female was 81.5% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
81.5%
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
38th
of 43 groups
All-time high
82.0%
in 2014
All-time low
58.1%
in 1997
Years of data
22
1997–2018

Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1997–2018

0204060801997200720181997: 58.1 %1998: 58.1 %1999: 58.6 %2000: 60.5 %2001: 62.5 %2002: 64.3 %2003: 66.6 %2004: 68.7 %2005: 71.1 %2006: 73.1 %2007: 74.5 %2008: 76.2 %2009: 77.3 %2010: 78.1 %2011: 79.3 %2012: 80.9 %2013: 81.9 %2014: 82 %2015: 81.3 %2016: 81.2 %2017: 81.4 %2018: 81.5 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa is 81.5%, measured in 2018.

That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 82.0% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 58.1%, in 1997.

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 38th of 43 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female (%) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1997 to 2018.
Year % Change
1997 58.1%
1998 58.1% +0.0%
1999 58.6% +0.9%
2000 60.5% +3.1%
2001 62.5% +3.3%
2002 64.3% +2.9%
2003 66.6% +3.6%
2004 68.7% +3.2%
2005 71.1% +3.5%
2006 73.1% +2.8%
2007 74.5% +1.8%
2008 76.2% +2.3%
2009 77.3% +1.4%
2010 78.1% +1.1%
2011 79.3% +1.6%
2012 80.9% +1.9%
2013 81.9% +1.3%
2014 82.0% +0.2%
2015 81.3% -0.9%
2016 81.2% -0.1%
2017 81.4% +0.2%
2018 81.5% +0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 58.3% 58.1% 58.6% 3
2000s 69.5% 60.5% 77.3% 10
2010s 80.8% 78.1% 82.0% 9

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

  1. 35 Iran 107.4% compare
  2. 36 Ireland 107.3% compare
  3. 37 East Timor 107.3% compare
  4. 38 Sao Tome and Principe 106.9% compare
  5. 39 Morocco 106.6% compare
  6. 40 Malta 106.4% compare
  7. 41 United Arab Emirates 106.3% compare

See the full ranking of 233 places →

More reference data data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa was 81.5% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 82.0% in 2014.
What is the lowest gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 58.1% in 1997.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 38th out of 43 groups with data for 2018.
Is gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/gross-enrolment-ratio-primary-and-lower-secondary-female-percent/sub-saharan-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/gross-enrolment-ratio-primary-and-lower-secondary-female-percent/sub-saharan-africa/">Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
233 places, 4,500 data points, 1981–2020
Last refreshed

Total female enrollment in primary and lower secondary education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the female population of official primary and lower secondary education age. GER can exceed 100% due to the inclusion of over-aged and under-aged students because of early or late school entrance and grade repetition.