South Africa vs Sri Lanka: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes
South Africa
5.7%
in 2025
Sri Lanka
6.2%
in 2025
South Africa rank
85th
Sri Lanka rank
82nd
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes over time
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 6.2% against 5.7% in South Africa, a difference of 0.5%.
That makes Sri Lanka's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 26 shared years of data; in 2000 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 85th and Sri Lanka ranks 82nd of 206 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.4% | 6.4% | 5.0% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 8.0% | 5.3% | 2.8% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 6.7% | 6.0% | 0.6% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes, South Africa or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 6.2% against 5.7% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes between South Africa and Sri Lanka?
- 0.5%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sri Lanka?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Sri Lanka rank globally for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 85th and Sri Lanka ranks 82nd of 206 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes (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