Kenya vs South Africa: Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region
Kenya
468,923 children
in 2023
South Africa
448,146 children
in 2023
Kenya rank
22nd
South Africa rank
23rd
Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region over time
- Kenya
- South Africa
How they compare
Kenya currently reports 468,923 children against 448,146 children in South Africa, a difference of 20,777 children.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 10 shared years of data; in 1999 it was Kenya ahead.
Kenya ranks 22nd and South Africa ranks 23rd of 196 countries.
Kenya has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Kenya | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.96 million children | 1.38 million children | 586,900 children | Kenya |
| 2000s | 1.26 million children | 1.17 million children | 92,008 children | Kenya |
| 2020s | 2.06 million children | 389,055 children | 1.67 million children | Kenya |
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, Kenya or South Africa?
- Kenya, at 468,923 children against 448,146 children in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region between Kenya and South Africa?
- 20,777 children, with Kenya ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and South Africa?
- 10 years are reported by both, from 1999 to 2023.
- How do Kenya and South Africa rank globally for primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region?
- Kenya ranks 22nd 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.