China vs South Africa: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age
China
7.7%
in 2025
South Africa
7.9%
in 2025
China rank
97th
South Africa rank
96th
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age over time
- China
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 7.9% against 7.7% in China, a difference of 0.2%.
Across all 26 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
China ranks 97th and South Africa ranks 96th of 206 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.3% | 15.6% | 7.3% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 12.2% | 6.0% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 7.5% | 8.8% | 1.2% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, China or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 7.9% against 7.7% in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age between China and South Africa?
- 0.2%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Africa?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2025.
- How do China and South Africa rank globally for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- China ranks 97th and South Africa ranks 96th of 206 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, male (modelled data) (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release