Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 63.48 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising
Latest (2019)
63.48 million number
Change on year
down 0.0%
Rank
6th
of 45 groups
All-time high
68.15 million number
in 1999
All-time low
41.19 million number
in 1970
Years of data
50
1970–2019
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa is 63.48 million number, measured in 2019.
That represents a change of up 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 68.15 million number in 1999 and was at its lowest, 41.19 million number, in 1970.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 6th of 45 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 41.19 million number | — |
| 1971 | 42.07 million number | +2.1% |
| 1972 | 42.77 million number | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 43.41 million number | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 43.65 million number | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 43.84 million number | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 44.41 million number | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 44.24 million number | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 44.03 million number | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 43.42 million number | -1.4% |
| 1980 | 43.32 million number | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 43.21 million number | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 43.10 million number | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 44.48 million number | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 46.20 million number | +3.9% |
| 1985 | 48.35 million number | +4.6% |
| 1986 | 49.86 million number | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 52.26 million number | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 54.44 million number | +4.2% |
| 1989 | 55.63 million number | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 57.77 million number | +3.8% |
| 1991 | 58.37 million number | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 60.42 million number | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 61.60 million number | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 63.16 million number | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 63.55 million number | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 66.16 million number | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 64.75 million number | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 67.63 million number | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 68.15 million number | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 66.62 million number | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 65.46 million number | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 64.21 million number | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 62.10 million number | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 60.81 million number | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 58.94 million number | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 57.51 million number | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 55.76 million number | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 55.34 million number | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 55.33 million number | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 56.27 million number | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 55.65 million number | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 56.34 million number | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 57.28 million number | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 58.98 million number | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 60.76 million number | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 61.04 million number | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 61.43 million number | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 63.48 million number | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 63.48 million number | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 43.30 million number | 41.19 million number | 44.41 million number | 10 |
| 1980s | 48.09 million number | 43.10 million number | 55.63 million number | 10 |
| 1990s | 63.16 million number | 57.77 million number | 68.15 million number | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.21 million number | 55.33 million number | 66.62 million number | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.47 million number | 55.65 million number | 63.48 million number | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 3 Niger 2.53 million number compare
- 4 Mali 2.06 million number compare
- 5 Chad 1.70 million number compare
- 6 Burkina Faso 1.65 million number compare
- 7 Philippines 1.40 million number compare
- 8 Syrian Arab Republic 1.38 million number compare
- 9 Mozambique 1.32 million number compare
More reference data data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 6.17 years (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 15.81 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 32.03 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 16.22 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, female 6.02 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, male 6.33 years (2019)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 94.2% (2018)
- School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes 0.78 years (2019)
- Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, adjusted gender parity 0.767 GPIA (2018)
- Teachers in primary education, male 2.57 million number (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Sub-Saharan Africa was 63.48 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 68.15 million number in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.19 million number in 1970.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 6th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.7%. 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 Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age who are not enrolled or attending school during in a given academic year. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/