South Africa vs Tonga: Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary
South Africa
21.2%
in 2023
Tonga
22.3%
in 2024
South Africa rank
70th
Tonga rank
67th
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary over time
- South Africa
- Tonga
How they compare
Tonga currently reports 22.3% against 21.2% in South Africa, a difference of 1.1%.
That makes Tonga's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 6 shared years of data; in 1998 it was Tonga ahead.
South Africa ranks 70th and Tonga ranks 67th of 179 countries.
Tonga has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Tonga | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 40.4% | 78.3% | 37.9% | Tonga |
| 2020s | 23.7% | 33.7% | 10.0% | Tonga |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary, South Africa or Tonga?
- Tonga, at 22.3% against 21.2% in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary between South Africa and Tonga?
- 1.1%, with Tonga ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Tonga?
- 6 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2023.
- How do South Africa and Tonga rank globally for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- South Africa ranks 70th and Tonga ranks 67th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release