Africa Eastern and Southern: Lower secondary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Africa Eastern and Southern's lower secondary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group) rose 0.09 percentage points on 2022 (from 44.55% to 44.64%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +0.68 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.55 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.53 percentage points in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.88 percentage points in 2003. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.52 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 94% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Lower secondary education completion rate is measured as the gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary education (general and pre-vocational). It is calculated as the number of new entrants in the last grade of lower secondary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of lower secondary education.

Limitations: The data do not account for students who drop out during the final year of Lower secondary education. Therefore, this rate serves as a proxy and should be considered an upper estimate of the actual Lower secondary completion rate. There are many reasons why the primary completion rate can exceed 100 percent. The numerator may include late entrants and overage children who have repeated one or more grades of primary education as well as children who entered school early, while the denominator is the number of children at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 41 values

Lower secondary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 52.07% (2023)
• Algeria — 87.34% (2025)
• Bahrain — 100.09% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 85.69% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 87.07% (2023)
• Israel — 97.99% (2024)
• Jordan — 94.07% (2024)
• Kuwait — 94.26% (2021)
• Lebanon

More education data for Africa Eastern and Southern

• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 121.03 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 101.31% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 100.32% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 102.29% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 3.06 million (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 46.07 million (2024)
• School enrollment, secondary (% gross)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Africa Eastern and Southern's lower secondary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group)?

44.64% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1983?

It is up 21.48 percentage points from 23.16% in 1983. The highest value was 44.73% in 2021 and the lowest 23.16% in 1983.

Is the latest change in lower secondary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group) unusual for Africa Eastern and Southern?

In 2023, Africa Eastern and Southern's lower secondary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group) rose 0.09 percentage points on 2022 (from 44.55% to 44.64%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +0.68 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.55 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.CMPT.LO.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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