Papua New Guinea vs South Africa: Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school
Papua New Guinea
16.0%
in 2023
South Africa
18.4%
in 2023
Papua New Guinea rank
164th
South Africa rank
162nd
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school over time
- Papua New Guinea
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 18.4% against 16.0% in Papua New Guinea, a difference of 2.4%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Papua New Guinea's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 6 shared years of data; in 1998 it was Papua New Guinea ahead.
Papua New Guinea ranks 164th and South Africa ranks 162nd of 178 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Papua New Guinea averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Papua New Guinea | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35.9% | 5.1% | 30.8% | Papua New Guinea |
| 2010s | 16.7% | 18.4% | 1.6% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 16.1% | 16.6% | 0.5% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children enrolled in pre-primary school, Papua New Guinea or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 18.4% against 16.0% in Papua New Guinea as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of children enrolled in pre-primary school between Papua New Guinea and South Africa?
- 2.4%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Papua New Guinea and South Africa?
- 6 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2023.
- How do Papua New Guinea and South Africa rank globally for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 164th and South Africa ranks 162nd of 178 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of children of pre-primary school age (typically 3–5 years old) who are enrolled in pre-primary education.