South Africa vs Zimbabwe: Children out of school, primary

South Africa
448,146
in 2023
Zimbabwe
332,314
in 2024
South Africa rank
24th
Zimbabwe rank
27th

Children out of school, primary over time

  • South Africa
  • Zimbabwe
0500.0k1.0M1.5M197019972024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 448,146 against 332,314 in Zimbabwe, a difference of 115,832.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.3 times Zimbabwe's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 14 shared years of data; in 1998 it was South Africa ahead.

South Africa ranks 24th and Zimbabwe ranks 27th of 197 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Zimbabwe Difference Ahead
1990s 1.43 million 257,223 1.18 million South Africa
2000s 1.25 million 90,291 1.16 million South Africa
2010s 692,492 286,206 406,287 South Africa
2020s 446,976 273,034 173,942 South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher children out of school, primary, South Africa or Zimbabwe?
South Africa, at 448,146 against 332,314 in Zimbabwe as of 2023.
What is the difference in children out of school, primary between South Africa and Zimbabwe?
115,832, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Zimbabwe?
14 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2023.
How do South Africa and Zimbabwe rank globally for children out of school, primary?
South Africa ranks 24th and Zimbabwe ranks 27th of 197 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Children out of school, primary. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Africa vs Zimbabwe: Children out of school, primary. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/children-out-of-school-primary/south-africa/zimbabwe/

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About this data

Indicator
Children out of school, primary
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
202 places, 4,752 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Children out of school are the number of primary-school-age children not enrolled in primary or secondary school.