School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) - Country Ranking - Africa

Definition: Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. Preprimary education refers to programs at the initial stage of organized instruction, designed primarily to introduce very young children to a school-type environment and to provide a bridge between home and school.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/)

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

Find indicator:
Rank Country Value Year
1 Liberia 125.18 2017
2 Ghana 116.14 2020
3 Mauritius 102.00 2021
4 Seychelles 96.46 2020
5 Malawi 83.58 2015
6 Algeria 79.07 2011
7 Tanzania 78.14 2020
8 Cabo Verde 74.70 2019
9 Zimbabwe 72.53 2020
10 Kenya 65.14 2019
11 Morocco 60.42 2020
12 São Tomé and Principe 50.31 2016
13 Sudan 47.40 2018
14 Tunisia 44.62 2016
15 Equatorial Guinea 43.36 2015
16 Gabon 42.99 2019
17 The Gambia 41.52 2021
18 Madagascar 40.15 2019
19 Angola 39.61 2016
20 Namibia 35.76 2019
21 Cameroon 35.62 2019
22 Lesotho 34.96 2018
23 Ethiopia 33.26 2020
24 Togo 29.75 2020
25 Egypt 29.27 2019
26 Rwanda 27.64 2019
27 Eswatini 27.43 2011
28 Nigeria 23.46 2018
29 Eritrea 23.33 2018
30 Benin 22.22 2020
31 Comoros 21.81 2018
32 Botswana 21.45 2015
33 Sierra Leone 20.84 2020
34 South Africa 17.84 2019
35 Guinea 17.62 2020
36 Senegal 16.92 2020
37 Burundi 16.49 2021
38 Uganda 14.41 2017
39 Congo 14.29 2018
40 Mozambique 11.62 1986
41 Djibouti 11.62 2021
42 Côte d'Ivoire 10.62 2020
43 Mauritania 10.49 2015
44 Libya 9.82 2006
45 Zambia 8.70 2017
46 Niger 7.41 2020
47 Mali 6.96 2018
48 Guinea-Bissau 6.69 2010
49 Burkina Faso 6.37 2020
50 Dem. Rep. Congo 5.68 2018
51 Somalia 5.63 2014
52 Central African Republic 2.93 2017
53 Chad 1.10 2019

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Development Relevance: Gross enrollment ratios indicate the capacity of each level of the education system, but a high ratio may reflect a substantial number of overage children enrolled in each grade because of repetition or late entry rather than a successful education system. The net enrollment rate excludes overage and underage students and more accurately captures the system's coverage and internal efficiency. Differences between the gross enrollment ratio and the net enrollment rate show the incidence of overage and underage enrollments.

Limitations and Exceptions: Enrollment indicators are based on annual school surveys, but do not necessarily reflect actual attendance or dropout rates during the year. Also, the length of education differs across countries and can influence enrollment rates, although the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) tries to minimize the difference. For example, a shorter duration for primary education tends to increase the rate; a longer one to decrease it (in part because older children are more at risk of dropping out). Moreover, age at enrollment may be inaccurately estimated or misstated, especially in communities where registration of births is not strictly enforced.

Other Notes: Data retrieved via API in March 2019. For detailed information on the observation level (e.g. National Estimation, UIS Estimation, or Category not applicable), please visit UIS.Stat (http://data.uis.unesco.org/).

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Gross enrollment ratio for pre-primary school is calculated by dividing the number of students enrolled in pre-primary education regardless of age by the population of the age group which officially corresponds to pre-primary education, and multiplying by 100. Data on education are collected by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics from official responses to its annual education survey. All the data are mapped to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) to ensure the comparability of education programs at the international level. The current version was formally adopted by UNESCO Member States in 2011. Population data are drawn from the United Nations Population Division. Using a single source for population data standardizes definitions, estimations, and interpolation methods, ensuring a consistent methodology across countries and minimizing potential enumeration problems in national censuses. The reference years reflect the school year for which the data are presented. In some countries the school year spans two calendar years (for example, from September 2010 to June 2011); in these cases the reference year refers to the year in which the school year ended (2011 in the example).

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual