South Africa vs Viet Nam: School age population, primary education, both sexes
South Africa
7.34 million
in 2025
Viet Nam
8.00 million
in 2025
South Africa rank
21st
Viet Nam rank
18th
School age population, primary education, both sexes over time
- South Africa
- Viet Nam
How they compare
Viet Nam currently reports 8.00 million against 7.34 million in South Africa, a difference of 656,260.
That makes Viet Nam's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Viet Nam ahead.
South Africa ranks 21st and Viet Nam ranks 18th of 222 countries.
Viet Nam has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Viet Nam | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.56 million | 6.09 million | 1.52 million | Viet Nam |
| 1980s | 5.82 million | 7.53 million | 1.71 million | Viet Nam |
| 1990s | 7.71 million | 8.67 million | 963,262 | Viet Nam |
| 2000s | 7.52 million | 7.71 million | 187,561 | Viet Nam |
| 2010s | 7.07 million | 7.31 million | 237,401 | Viet Nam |
| 2020s | 7.45 million | 8.50 million | 1.05 million | Viet Nam |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher school age population, primary education, both sexes, South Africa or Viet Nam?
- Viet Nam, at 8.00 million against 7.34 million in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in school age population, primary education, both sexes between South Africa and Viet Nam?
- 656,260, with Viet Nam ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Viet Nam?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Viet Nam rank globally for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 21st and Viet Nam ranks 18th of 222 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School age population, primary 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