Maldives vs South Africa: Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary
Maldives
22.7%
in 2024
South Africa
21.4%
in 2023
Maldives rank
65th
South Africa rank
67th
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary over time
- Maldives
- South Africa
How they compare
Maldives currently reports 22.7% against 21.4% in South Africa, a difference of 1.3%.
That makes Maldives's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
Across all 8 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Maldives ranks 65th and South Africa ranks 67th of 175 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Maldives | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35.6% | 44.8% | 9.2% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 31.7% | 63.5% | 31.8% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 12.2% | 23.6% | 11.4% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 12.9% | 21.4% | 8.4% | South Africa |
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, Maldives or South Africa?
- Maldives, at 22.7% against 21.4% in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary between Maldives and South Africa?
- 1.3%, with Maldives ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Maldives and South Africa?
- 8 years are reported by both, from 1999 to 2023.
- How do Maldives and South Africa rank globally for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- Maldives ranks 65th and South Africa ranks 67th of 175 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, male (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release