In many countries across sub-Saharan Africa, Muslim and Christian communities coexist side by side. But a huge gap exists between them when it comes to educational attainment, with African Christians more than twice as likely to have formal schooling than their Muslim counterparts, a Pew Research Center study shows.
The study, which looked at the number of years of schooling both groups received based on age and gender, showed that 65% of Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa had no formal education—the highest anywhere in the world. By contrast, 30% of Christians in the region had not enrolled or completed any form or level of schooling. [...]
Christianity and Islam are the two dominant religions in sub-Saharan Africa, together accounting for more than 93% of the population. Given the dropping child mortality and high fertility rates in the region, much of the worldwide growth of Islam and Christianity is expected to take place there in the coming decades. By 2050, for instance, four out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa. [...]
Overall, achievements among the younger population are growing at a pace better than those from older generations, with those with one or more years of primary schooling doubling from 21% to 43%. The younger generation of Muslim women is also making educational gains, with those with no formal schooling dropping from 87% among the 55-74 year-olds to 65% among those between the ages 25-34. In countries where Muslims are a minority, like Burundi, Rwanda and South Africa, they have also attained more formal education than Christians in relation to their population size.
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