Kenya vs South Africa: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both

Kenya
1.40 million number
in 2020
South Africa
1.17 million number
in 2020
Kenya rank
18th
South Africa rank
21st

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both over time

  • Kenya
  • South Africa
250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1.2M1.5M197019952020

How they compare

Kenya currently reports 1.40 million number against 1.17 million number in South Africa, a difference of 230,860 number.

That makes Kenya's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 51 shared years of data; in 1970 it was South Africa ahead.

Kenya ranks 18th and South Africa ranks 21st of 206 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Kenya averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Kenya South Africa Difference Ahead
1970s 451,790 number 696,236 number 244,446 number South Africa
1980s 672,014 number 891,988 number 219,974 number South Africa
1990s 879,899 number 1.06 million number 181,984 number South Africa
2000s 1.09 million number 969,591 number 116,680 number Kenya
2010s 1.35 million number 1.08 million number 270,544 number Kenya
2020s 1.40 million number 1.17 million number 230,860 number Kenya

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher population of the official entrance age to primary education, both, Kenya or South Africa?
Kenya, at 1.40 million number against 1.17 million number in South Africa as of 2020.
What is the difference in population of the official entrance age to primary education, both between Kenya and South Africa?
230,860 number, with Kenya ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and South Africa?
51 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2020.
How do Kenya and South Africa rank globally for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both?
Kenya ranks 18th and South Africa ranks 21st of 206 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Kenya vs South Africa: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/population-of-the-official-entrance-age-to-primary-education-both-sexes-number/kenya/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 12,277 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to the official entrance age to primary education. The official entrance age is the age at which students would enter a given programme or level of education assuming they start at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, study full-time throughout and progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade. The theoretical entrance age to a given programme or level is typically, but not always, the most common entrance age.