Compulsory education, duration in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Compulsory education, duration was 8 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Compulsory education, duration in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1998–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for compulsory education, duration in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) is 8 years, measured in 2025.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, compulsory education, duration in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 9 years in 2006 and was at its lowest, 7 years, in 1998.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.05 years | 7 years | 9 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 6 |
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 97.1% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 5.14 million (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 96.0% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 98.2% (2024)
- Labor force, total 526.96 million (2025)
- Labor force, female 46.9% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 0.9577 GPI (2020)
- School enrollment, secondary 45.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is compulsory education, duration in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Compulsory education, duration in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 8 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest compulsory education, duration recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 9 years in 2006.
- What is the lowest compulsory education, duration recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 years in 1998.
- Is compulsory education, duration rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Compulsory education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.