Russia vs South Africa: Primary education, pupils

Russia
7.55 million
in 2023
South Africa
7.52 million
in 2023
Russia rank
20th
South Africa rank
21st

Primary education, pupils over time

  • Russia
  • South Africa
02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M197019962023

How they compare

Russia currently reports 7.55 million against 7.52 million in South Africa, a difference of 33,720.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 39 shared years of data; in 1975 it was Russia ahead.

Russia ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 21st of 206 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Russia averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Russia South Africa Difference Ahead
1970s 5.74 million 4.34 million 1.40 million Russia
1980s 6.62 million 5.06 million 1.55 million Russia
1990s 7.45 million 7.76 million 312,691 South Africa
2000s 5.36 million 7.34 million 1.97 million South Africa
2010s 6.11 million 7.34 million 1.23 million South Africa
2020s 7.49 million 7.64 million 147,175 South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher primary education, pupils, Russia or South Africa?
Russia, at 7.55 million against 7.52 million in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in primary education, pupils between Russia and South Africa?
33,720, with Russia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and South Africa?
39 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2023.
How do Russia and South Africa rank globally for primary education, pupils?
Russia ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 21st of 206 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Primary education, pupils. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Russia vs South Africa: Primary education, pupils. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/primary-education-pupils/russian-federation/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Primary education, pupils
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 11,297 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.