School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female was 8.85 years in 2017. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970–2017
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2017, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 8.85 years.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 8.97 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 3.53 years, in 1970.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 38th of 43 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.53 years | — |
| 1971 | 3.57 years | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 3.68 years | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 3.75 years | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 3.9 years | +4.0% |
| 1975 | 4.02 years | +3.0% |
| 1976 | 4.11 years | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 4.34 years | +5.6% |
| 1978 | 4.61 years | +6.2% |
| 1979 | 4.92 years | +6.7% |
| 1980 | 5.16 years | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 5.43 years | +5.2% |
| 1982 | 5.62 years | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 5.62 years | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 5.58 years | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 5.55 years | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 5.45 years | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 5.43 years | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 5.35 years | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 5.42 years | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 5.35 years | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 5.47 years | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 5.47 years | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 5.53 years | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 5.55 years | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 5.61 years | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 5.53 years | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 5.75 years | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 5.89 years | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 6.01 years | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 6.2 years | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 6.38 years | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 6.59 years | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 6.85 years | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 7.15 years | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 7.41 years | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 7.65 years | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 7.76 years | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 8.02 years | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 8.21 years | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 8.36 years | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 8.51 years | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 8.7 years | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 8.97 years | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 8.88 years | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 8.88 years | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 8.82 years | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 8.85 years | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.04 years | 3.53 years | 4.92 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.46 years | 5.16 years | 5.62 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.62 years | 5.35 years | 6.01 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.22 years | 6.2 years | 8.21 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.75 years | 8.36 years | 8.97 years | 8 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More gender data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 552,879 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 1.42 % change on previous year (2030)
- Inactivity rate (ILO modelled estimates) 29.77 (2027)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), per capita 0.0004 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female 247.09 million (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.187 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), per unit of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Labor force, female, annual growth rate 2.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Labor force, female, per square kilometre 9.83 units per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in Sub-Saharan Africa was 8.85 years in 2017, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8.97 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.53 years in 1970.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 38th out of 43 groups with data for 2017.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Expected years of schooling is the number of years a child of school entrance age is expected to spend at school, or university, including years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrolment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education.