Malaysia vs South Africa: Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region
Malaysia
404,724 children
in 2024
South Africa
448,146 children
in 2023
Malaysia rank
24th
South Africa rank
23rd
Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region over time
- Malaysia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 448,146 children against 404,724 children in Malaysia, a difference of 43,422 children.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Malaysia's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 17 shared years of data; in 1994 it was South Africa ahead.
Malaysia ranks 24th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 196 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 110,250 children | 1.38 million children | 1.27 million children | South Africa |
| 2000s | 157,413 children | 1.17 million children | 1.01 million children | South Africa |
| 2010s | 278,506 children | 692,492 children | 413,987 children | South Africa |
| 2020s | 380,583 children | 446,976 children | 66,393 children | South Africa |
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, Malaysia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 448,146 children against 404,724 children in Malaysia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region between Malaysia and South Africa?
- 43,422 children, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and South Africa?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2023.
- How do Malaysia and South Africa rank globally for primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region?
- Malaysia ranks 24th 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.