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

Sub-Saharan Africa: Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, male was 86.4% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
86.4%
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
40th
of 43 groups
All-time high
87.8%
in 2013
All-time low
69.3%
in 1997
Years of data
22
1997–2018

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

0204060801997200720181997: 69.3 %1998: 69.6 %1999: 69.7 %2000: 71.8 %2001: 73.7 %2002: 76.1 %2003: 78.3 %2004: 80.2 %2005: 82.1 %2006: 83.5 %2007: 84.4 %2008: 85.3 %2009: 85.7 %2010: 85.9 %2011: 87.2 %2012: 87.5 %2013: 87.8 %2014: 87.5 %2015: 86.1 %2016: 86.1 %2017: 86.2 %2018: 86.4 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2018, gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, male in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 86.4%.

That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, male in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 87.8% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 69.3%, in 1997.

That places Sub-Saharan Africa 40th out of 43 groups with data for 2018, putting it 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, male in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, male (%) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1997 to 2018.
Year % Change
1997 69.3%
1998 69.6% +0.5%
1999 69.7% +0.1%
2000 71.8% +3.0%
2001 73.7% +2.6%
2002 76.1% +3.3%
2003 78.3% +2.9%
2004 80.2% +2.3%
2005 82.1% +2.4%
2006 83.5% +1.7%
2007 84.4% +1.0%
2008 85.3% +1.1%
2009 85.7% +0.5%
2010 85.9% +0.2%
2011 87.2% +1.5%
2012 87.5% +0.3%
2013 87.8% +0.4%
2014 87.5% -0.3%
2015 86.1% -1.7%
2016 86.1% +0.1%
2017 86.2% +0.1%
2018 86.4% +0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 69.5% 69.3% 69.7% 3
2000s 80.1% 71.8% 85.7% 10
2010s 86.8% 85.9% 87.8% 9

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

  1. 37 Spain 108.2% compare
  2. 38 Nicaragua 108.0% compare
  3. 39 Viet Nam 108.0% compare
  4. 40 Hong Kong 107.8% compare
  5. 41 Belize 107.5% compare
  6. 42 Rwanda 107.4% compare
  7. 43 Dominican Republic 107.3% 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, male in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, male in Sub-Saharan Africa was 86.4% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, male recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 87.8% in 2013.
What is the lowest gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, male recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 69.3% in 1997.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, male?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 40th out of 43 groups with data for 2018.
Is gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, male rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, male in Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/gross-enrolment-ratio-primary-and-lower-secondary-male-percent/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, male (%)
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 male enrollment in primary and lower secondary education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the male 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.