Primary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Primary completion rate, total was 68.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
68.9%
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
41st
of 45 groups
All-time high
69.9%
in 2021
All-time low
45.9%
in 1971
Years of data
54
1971–2024

Primary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1971–2024

0204060197119972024

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of relevant age group.

Analysis

In 2024, primary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at 68.9%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 69.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 45.9%, in 1971.

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 41st of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.

Primary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year

Annual values for Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1971 to 2024.
Year % of relevant age group Change
1971 45.9%
1972 46.2% +0.7%
1973 46.6% +0.8%
1974 47.0% +0.9%
1975 48.0% +2.0%
1976 48.7% +1.5%
1977 49.8% +2.2%
1978 51.1% +2.6%
1979 52.5% +2.8%
1980 52.9% +0.9%
1981 54.0% +1.9%
1982 54.7% +1.4%
1983 55.2% +0.8%
1984 57.0% +3.4%
1985 54.8% -3.9%
1986 54.8% -0.0%
1987 54.3% -0.9%
1988 53.5% -1.5%
1989 52.5% -1.8%
1990 53.1% +1.0%
1991 53.4% +0.6%
1992 52.7% -1.2%
1993 53.5% +1.4%
1994 52.7% -1.4%
1995 52.8% +0.1%
1996 53.2% +0.8%
1997 53.0% -0.5%
1998 52.3% -1.3%
1999 52.4% +0.1%
2000 52.8% +0.8%
2001 54.4% +3.1%
2002 55.5% +1.9%
2003 56.4% +1.7%
2004 57.4% +1.8%
2005 59.5% +3.6%
2006 62.2% +4.5%
2007 61.9% -0.4%
2008 62.5% +1.0%
2009 65.7% +5.1%
2010 65.9% +0.4%
2011 65.7% -0.3%
2012 65.7% +0.1%
2013 65.6% -0.2%
2014 66.0% +0.6%
2015 66.3% +0.3%
2016 66.7% +0.7%
2017 67.1% +0.6%
2018 67.9% +1.2%
2019 68.3% +0.6%
2020 69.1% +1.1%
2021 69.9% +1.2%
2022 69.0% -1.3%
2023 68.8% -0.3%
2024 68.9% +0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 48.4% 45.9% 52.5% 9
1980s 54.4% 52.5% 57.0% 10
1990s 52.9% 52.3% 53.5% 10
2000s 58.8% 52.8% 65.7% 10
2010s 66.5% 65.6% 68.3% 10
2020s 69.1% 68.8% 69.9% 5

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

  1. 38 Samoa 100.0% compare
  2. 39 Indonesia 100.0% compare
  3. 40 Greece 99.9% compare
  4. 41 Estonia 99.9% compare
  5. 42 Sweden 99.8% compare
  6. 43 Denmark 99.7% compare
  7. 44 Brunei Darussalam 99.4% compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More aid effectiveness data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
Primary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 68.9% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary completion rate, total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
The highest recorded value was 69.9% in 2021.
What is the lowest primary completion rate, total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
The lowest recorded value was 45.9% in 1971.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for primary completion rate, total?
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 41st out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
Is primary completion rate, total rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Primary completion rate, total in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income). Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://aid.statizoid.com/stat/primary-completion-rate-total-percent-of-relevant-age-group/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-high-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)
Unit
% of relevant age group
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 6,786 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary completion rate, or gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, is the number of new entrants (enrollments minus repeaters) in the last grade of primary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education. Data limitations preclude adjusting for students who drop out during the final year of primary education.