Afghanistan vs South Africa: School age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both
Afghanistan
1.83 million
in 2025
South Africa
2.08 million
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
20th
South Africa rank
18th
School age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both over time
- Afghanistan
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 2.08 million against 1.83 million in Afghanistan, a difference of 252,900.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Afghanistan's.
Across all 24 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Afghanistan ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 18th of 174 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 908,257 | 2.28 million | 1.37 million | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1.37 million | 2.16 million | 783,511 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 1.76 million | 2.01 million | 248,473 | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher school age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both, Afghanistan or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 2.08 million against 1.83 million in Afghanistan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in school age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both between Afghanistan and South Africa?
- 252,900, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and South Africa?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do Afghanistan and South Africa rank globally for school age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both?
- Afghanistan ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 18th of 174 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release