Africa: Half of Africans Give Their Governments Failing Marks On Education

Attainment advances among younger generations but reflects persistent disadvantages for women, the poor, and rural residents.

Key findings

On average across 38 African countries, almost six in 10 adults have secondary (39%) or post-secondary (18%) education, while 26% have primary schooling and 16% have no formal education.
Educational attainment varies widely across countries. Almost half of Guineans (49%) and Malians (52%) have no formal schooling, a condition that is almost unheard of in Mauritius, Zimbabwe, and Gabon.
Demographic groups also differ in educational attainment, reflecting persistent disadvantages for women, the poor, and rural residents. Younger Africans have more education than their elders.
Only 13% of respondents say girls are “often” or “always” prevented from attending school because their families prioritise boys’ education, though this figure ranges up to 27% in Malawi and 28% in Cameroon.
And more than twice as many (28%) say schoolgirls “often” or “always” face discrimination, harassment, and requests for sexual favours from their teachers.
Large majorities say that girls who become pregnant or have children should be allowed to continue their education (81%) and that sexuality education should be taught in school to help young people make informed decisions (73%).
About half (49%) of citizens think their government is performing “fairly well” or “very well” on education, while the other half (49%) give their leaders poor marks. Approval rates range from more than eight in 10 in Zambia (84%) and Tanzania (81%) to fewer than one in four in Nigeria (24%) and Congo-Brazzaville (22%).
Education ranks third among the most important problems that Africans want their governments to address, up from sixth place in 2021/2023.

Education is widely recognised as one of the most impactful pathways toward social progress and economic development. Yet despite improvements, sub-Saharan Africa continues to lag behind the rest of the world in access to schooling and the achievement of gender parity in education (ISS African Futures, 2024; Moravec, 2025).

According to UNESCO’s (2024) Global Education Monitoring Report, Africa is home to nearly 30% of the world’s 244 million out-of-school children and youth aged 6-18. Children from low-income households are disproportionally affected: The report highlights that they are five times more likely to be out of school than children from wealthier families.

Moreover, the completion rate of Africa’s primary-school learners stands at around 65%, compared to the global average of 87%. African youth aged 15-24 have a literacy rate of 75%, a far cry from the almost 90% found in other developing economies and emerging markets (Fornino & Tiffin, 2024).

Like children from poor backgrounds, girls are confronted with particular challenges in realising their right to education, including child marriage, unintended and early pregnancies, sexual violence and abuse, harmful gender stereotypes, and unsafe and inadequate learning environments (African Union, 2024; Kimani & Karisa, 2025).

Ahead of International Day of Education (24 January), this Pan-Africa Profile examines African citizens’ experiences and evaluations of their education systems.

Afrobarometer Round 10 survey findings from 38 African countries show that while younger citizens have more education than their elders, educational attainment varies widely by country and reflects persistent disadvantages among women, the poor, and rural residents.

While few respondents say that families still prioritise boys’ education over girls’, nearly three in 10 report that schoolgirls face discrimination, harassment, and requests for sexual favours from their teachers. But overwhelming majorities say that girls who become pregnant or have children should be allowed to continue their education and that sexuality education should be taught in school.

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