Afghanistan vs South Africa: School age population, primary education, female
Afghanistan
3.42 million
in 2025
South Africa
3.66 million
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
23rd
South Africa rank
20th
School age population, primary education, female over time
- Afghanistan
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 3.66 million against 3.42 million in Afghanistan, a difference of 245,350.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Afghanistan's.
Across all 56 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Afghanistan ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 20th of 222 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 963,839 | 2.25 million | 1.29 million | South Africa |
| 1980s | 947,448 | 2.86 million | 1.92 million | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1.28 million | 3.80 million | 2.52 million | South Africa |
| 2000s | 2.06 million | 3.71 million | 1.65 million | South Africa |
| 2010s | 2.77 million | 3.49 million | 716,528 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 3.26 million | 3.71 million | 448,673 | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher school age population, primary education, female, Afghanistan or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 3.66 million against 3.42 million in Afghanistan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in school age population, primary education, female between Afghanistan and South Africa?
- 245,350, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and South Africa?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Afghanistan and South Africa rank globally for school age population, primary education, female?
- Afghanistan ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 20th of 222 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School age population, primary education, female (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