Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 30.9% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) is 30.9%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 62.0% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 30.9%, in 2019.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 5th of 43 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 62.0% | — |
| 1971 | 61.8% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 61.2% | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 60.6% | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 59.6% | -1.6% |
| 1975 | 58.6% | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 58.0% | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 56.8% | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 55.3% | -2.7% |
| 1979 | 53.4% | -3.4% |
| 1980 | 52.0% | -2.7% |
| 1981 | 50.5% | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 49.1% | -2.7% |
| 1983 | 48.9% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 49.1% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 49.6% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 51.2% | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 51.6% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 52.0% | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 52.0% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 52.4% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 51.9% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 52.3% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 52.0% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 52.0% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 51.3% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 51.9% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 50.3% | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 49.4% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 48.8% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 47.3% | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 45.8% | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 44.3% | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 42.5% | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 41.0% | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 39.3% | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 37.9% | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 36.5% | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 35.1% | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 34.2% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 33.7% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 32.9% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 32.5% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 32.1% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 32.0% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 32.0% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 31.6% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 31.2% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 31.6% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 30.9% | -2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 58.7% | 53.4% | 62.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 50.6% | 48.9% | 52.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.2% | 48.8% | 52.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.4% | 34.2% | 47.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.0% | 30.9% | 33.7% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More reference data data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 16.21 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 32.02 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 15.80 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 6.17 years (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 0.7795 years (2019)
- Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, adjusted gender parity 0.7648 GPIA (2018)
- Teachers in primary education, male 2.57 million number (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 30.9% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 62.0% in 1970.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.9% in 2019.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 5th out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Proportion of children, adolescents, and youth in the official age range for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education who are not enrolled in primary, lower secondary, or upper secondary education. To calculate the indicator, the number of students of the official age for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education enrolled in primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education is subtracted from the total population of primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education. The result is expressed as a percentage of the population of the official age for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/