Papua New Guinea vs South Africa: Official entrance age to pre-primary education
Papua New Guinea
3 years
in 2025
South Africa
3 years
in 2025
Papua New Guinea rank
58th
South Africa rank
58th
Official entrance age to pre-primary education over time
- Papua New Guinea
- South Africa
How they compare
Papua New Guinea currently reports 3 years against 3 years in South Africa, a difference of 0 years.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was South Africa ahead.
Papua New Guinea ranks 58th and South Africa ranks 58th of 223 countries.
Papua New Guinea has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Papua New Guinea | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 years | 5 years | 0 years | — |
| 1980s | 5 years | 5 years | 0 years | — |
| 1990s | 5.2 years | 5 years | 0.2 years | Papua New Guinea |
| 2000s | 6 years | 3 years | 3 years | Papua New Guinea |
| 2010s | 3.6 years | 3 years | 0.6 years | Papua New Guinea |
| 2020s | 3 years | 3 years | 0 years | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher official entrance age to pre-primary education, Papua New Guinea or South Africa?
- Papua New Guinea, at 3 years against 3 years in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in official entrance age to pre-primary education between Papua New Guinea and South Africa?
- 0 years, with Papua New Guinea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Papua New Guinea and South Africa?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Papua New Guinea and South Africa rank globally for official entrance age to pre-primary education?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 58th and South Africa ranks 58th of 223 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Official entrance age to pre-primary education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Official entry age at which children are expected to start pre-primary education according to national legislation or policies.