Japan vs South Africa: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes

Japan
1.03 million
in 2025
South Africa
1.07 million
in 2025
Japan rank
25th
South Africa rank
24th

School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes over time

  • Japan
  • South Africa
0500.0k1.0M1.5M197019972025

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 1.07 million against 1.03 million in Japan, a difference of 38,680.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 25 shared years of data; in 2001 it was Japan ahead.

Japan ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 24th of 222 countries.

Across the 3 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Japan South Africa Difference Ahead
2000s 1.23 million 1.12 million 109,824 Japan
2010s 1.14 million 983,422 157,129 Japan
2020s 1.06 million 1.08 million 17,283 South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes, Japan or South Africa?
South Africa, at 1.07 million against 1.03 million in Japan as of 2025.
What is the difference in school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes between Japan and South Africa?
38,680, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Africa?
25 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2025.
How do Japan and South Africa rank globally for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes?
Japan ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 24th of 222 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Japan vs South Africa: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/school-age-population-last-grade-of-primary-education-both-sexes-number-2/japan/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
443 places, 20,702 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release