Egypt vs South Africa: Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region
Egypt
559,709 children
in 2024
South Africa
448,146 children
in 2023
Egypt rank
20th
South Africa rank
23rd
Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region over time
- Egypt
- South Africa
How they compare
Egypt currently reports 559,709 children against 448,146 children in South Africa, a difference of 111,563 children.
That makes Egypt's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 14 shared years of data; in 1994 it was Egypt ahead.
Egypt ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 196 countries.
Egypt has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Egypt | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.48 million children | 1.33 million children | 153,040 children | Egypt |
| 2000s | 1.34 million children | 1.17 million children | 172,464 children | Egypt |
| 2010s | 1.12 million children | 697,751 children | 422,846 children | Egypt |
| 2020s | 607,809 children | 452,454 children | 155,355 children | Egypt |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region, Egypt or South Africa?
- Egypt, at 559,709 children against 448,146 children in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region between Egypt and South Africa?
- 111,563 children, with Egypt ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Egypt and South Africa?
- 14 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2023.
- How do Egypt and South Africa rank globally for primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region?
- Egypt ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 196 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Children in the official primary school age range who are not enrolled in either primary or secondary education.