Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 24.2% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 24.2% for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 12.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 56.4% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 24.2%, in 2019.
Sub-Saharan Africa 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 56.4% | — |
| 1971 | 56.2% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 55.6% | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 55.0% | -1.2% |
| 1974 | 53.8% | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 52.8% | -1.8% |
| 1976 | 52.2% | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 50.8% | -2.7% |
| 1978 | 49.2% | -3.1% |
| 1979 | 47.1% | -4.1% |
| 1980 | 45.7% | -3.0% |
| 1981 | 44.3% | -3.1% |
| 1982 | 43.0% | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 43.1% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 43.5% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 44.2% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 45.7% | +3.4% |
| 1987 | 46.3% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 46.8% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 46.7% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 47.1% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 46.4% | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 46.8% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 46.5% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 46.4% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 45.6% | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 46.3% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 44.5% | -3.9% |
| 1998 | 44.3% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 43.6% | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 41.6% | -4.4% |
| 2001 | 40.0% | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 38.4% | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 36.3% | -5.5% |
| 2004 | 34.6% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 32.7% | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 31.1% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 29.3% | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 28.3% | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 27.5% | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 27.2% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 26.2% | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 25.8% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 25.5% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 25.6% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 25.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 25.1% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 24.6% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 24.7% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 24.2% | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 52.9% | 47.1% | 56.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 44.9% | 43.0% | 46.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.8% | 43.6% | 47.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.0% | 27.5% | 41.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.5% | 24.2% | 27.2% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More reference data data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 32.03 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 6.17 years (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 16.22 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 15.81 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 rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Sub-Saharan Africa was 24.2% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 56.4% in 1970.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.2% in 2019.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 5th out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Proportion of children and adolescents in the official age range for primary and lower secondary education who are not enrolled in primary or lower secondary education. To calculate the indicator, the number of students of the official age for primary and lower secondary education enrolled in primary or lower secondary education is subtracted from the total population of primary and lower secondary education. The result is expressed as a percentage of the population of the official age for primary and lower secondary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/