South Africa vs Zimbabwe: Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region
South Africa
448,146 children
in 2023
Zimbabwe
332,314 children
in 2024
South Africa rank
23rd
Zimbabwe rank
26th
Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region over time
- South Africa
- Zimbabwe
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 448,146 children against 332,314 children in Zimbabwe, a difference of 115,832 children.
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 23rd and Zimbabwe ranks 26th of 196 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 children | 257,223 children | 1.18 million children | South Africa |
| 2000s | 1.25 million children | 90,291 children | 1.16 million children | South Africa |
| 2010s | 692,492 children | 286,206 children | 406,287 children | South Africa |
| 2020s | 446,976 children | 273,034 children | 173,942 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, South Africa or Zimbabwe?
- South Africa, at 448,146 children against 332,314 children in Zimbabwe as of 2023.
- What is the difference in primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region between South Africa and Zimbabwe?
- 115,832 children, 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 primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region?
- South Africa ranks 23rd and Zimbabwe ranks 26th 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.