Ghana: Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Ghana's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) fell 1.34 percentage points on 2017 (from 16.77% to 15.43%).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2017), the average change was −0.15 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.7 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 4.88 percentage points in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.37 percentage points in 2013. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.22 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 78% of the movement over 9 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2018, Ghana had the 16th highest value of the 77 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Ghana in the 2018 ranking

• Suriname — 13th of 77: 16.04%
• Burkina Faso — 14th of 77: 15.78%
• Namibia — 15th of 77: 15.7%
• Colombia — 17th of 77: 15.19%
• Cambodia — 18th of 77: 13.9%
• Costa Rica — 19th of 77: 13.68%

What this measures

Over-age students are the percentage of those enrolled who are older than the official school-age range for primary education.

All 18 values

Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) in nearby economies

• Benin — 7.87% (2018)
• Burkina Faso — 15.78% (2018)
• Burundi — 17.06% (2018)
• Cabo Verde — 10.2% (2018)
• Cameroon — 12% (2017)
• Chad — 13.89% (2016)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 7.98% (2018)
• Equatorial Guinea — 22.58% (2015)
• Eritrea — 24.69% (2018)
• Eswatini — 28.27% (2017)

More education data for Ghana

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 4.98 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 100.97% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 100.67% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 101.25% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 122,558 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.02 (2020)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Ghana's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)?

15.43% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1999?

It is down 5.85 percentage points from 21.28% in 1999. The highest value was 28.76% in 2006 and the lowest 15.43% in 2018.

How does Ghana rank?

16th highest of 77 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) unusual for Ghana?

In 2018, Ghana's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) fell 1.34 percentage points on 2017 (from 16.77% to 15.43%). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2017), the average change was −0.15 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.7 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.OENR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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