Afghanistan vs South Africa: School age population, secondary education, female
Afghanistan
2.93 million
in 2025
South Africa
2.71 million
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
27th
South Africa rank
30th
School age population, secondary education, female over time
- Afghanistan
- South Africa
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 2.93 million against 2.71 million in South Africa, a difference of 224,190.
That makes Afghanistan's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was South Africa ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 30th of 220 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 777,162 | 1.34 million | 561,100 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 765,052 | 1.78 million | 1.01 million | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1.02 million | 2.23 million | 1.21 million | South Africa |
| 2000s | 1.55 million | 2.82 million | 1.27 million | South Africa |
| 2010s | 2.35 million | 2.51 million | 155,179 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 2.81 million | 2.58 million | 231,107 | Afghanistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher school age population, secondary education, female, Afghanistan or South Africa?
- Afghanistan, at 2.93 million against 2.71 million in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in school age population, secondary education, female between Afghanistan and South Africa?
- 224,190, with Afghanistan 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, secondary education, female?
- Afghanistan ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 30th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School age population, secondary 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