Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education was 25.9% in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
25.9%
Change on year
down 1.3%
Rank
5th
of 41 groups
All-time high
35.6%
in 2000
All-time low
25.7%
in 2014
Years of data
18
1999–2016

Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1999–2016

0102030401999200720161999: 31.8 %2000: 35.6 %2001: 34.8 %2002: 33.1 %2003: 35.3 %2004: 32.8 %2005: 32.1 %2006: 32 %2007: 31.7 %2008: 30.5 %2009: 29.2 %2010: 33.1 %2011: 28.3 %2012: 26.6 %2013: 26.6 %2014: 25.7 %2015: 26.3 %2016: 25.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Sub-Saharan Africa is 25.9%, measured in 2016.

The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 19.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 35.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 25.7%, in 2014.

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 5th of 41 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.

Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, female (%) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1999 to 2016.
Year % Change
1999 31.8%
2000 35.6% +12.1%
2001 34.8% -2.3%
2002 33.1% -4.8%
2003 35.3% +6.5%
2004 32.8% -7.0%
2005 32.1% -2.4%
2006 32.0% -0.2%
2007 31.7% -0.9%
2008 30.5% -3.9%
2009 29.2% -4.0%
2010 33.1% +13.3%
2011 28.3% -14.7%
2012 26.6% -6.0%
2013 26.6% +0.2%
2014 25.7% -3.6%
2015 26.3% +2.3%
2016 25.9% -1.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 31.8% 31.8% 31.8% 1
2000s 32.7% 29.2% 35.6% 10
2010s 27.5% 25.7% 33.1% 7

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

  1. 2 Eswatini 61.6% compare
  2. 3 Burkina Faso 58.9% compare
  3. 4 Central African Republic 55.3% compare
  4. 5 Madagascar 50.6% compare
  5. 6 Burundi 49.5% compare
  6. 7 Equatorial Guinea 46.6% compare
  7. 8 Nepal 45.7% compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Sub-Saharan Africa was 25.9% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 35.6% in 2000.
What is the lowest percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 25.7% in 2014.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 5th out of 41 groups with data for 2016.
Is percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.0%. 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 Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-pupils-enrolled-in-lower-secondary-general-education-who-are-at-least-2-2/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
194 places, 2,218 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of pupils in each level of education (primary and lower secondary general education) who are at least 2 years above the intended age for their grade. The intended age for a given grade is the age at which pupils would enter the grade if they had started school at the official primary entrance age, had studied full-time and had progressed without repeating or skipping a grade. The value is calculated as the sum of enrolments across all grades in the given level of education which are 2 or more years older than the intended age for the given grade is expressed as a percentage of the total enrolment in the given level of education. A low value of this indicator will show that the majority of students start school on time and progress with minimum levels of grade repetition. Late school entry and significant grade repetition exacerbate over-age progression and should be discouraged as both are associated with lower levels of student learning achievement. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/