Africa Western and Central: Primary education, teachers

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Africa Western and Central's primary education, teachers rose 0.7% on 2023 (from 2.07 million to 2.08 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +3.8% and a typical year strayed about 5.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 25.9% in 1978 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.6% in 1986. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 40,560 a year. A straight line explains 93% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 2.19 million for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 27,069, against 106,793 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.

Limitations: The precision of this indicator can be influenced by the enumeration method used, such as headcount or 'full-time equivalent' count of teachers.

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

All 55 values

Primary education, teachers in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 163,167 (2023)
• Algeria — 247,748 (2025)
• Bahrain — 9,404 (2024)
• Djibouti — 2,739 (2023)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 483,053 (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 372,396 (2023)
• Israel — 92,770 (2024)
• Jordan — 64,348 (2024)
• Kuwait — 32,782 (2021)
• Lebanon — 36,699 (2024)
• Malta — 1,941 (2024)
• Morocco

More education data for Africa Western and Central

• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) — 66.65% (2024)
• Primary education, pupils — 75.77 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 91.06% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 89.68% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 92.4% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 48.14% (2024)
• Lower secondary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Africa Western and Central's primary education, teachers?

2.08 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 882.79% from 211,747 in 1970 (4.32% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 2.08 million in 2024 and the lowest 211,747 in 1970.

Is the latest change in primary education, teachers unusual for Africa Western and Central?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.TCHR, 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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