Italy vs South Africa: Secondary education, pupils

Italy
4.61 million
in 2023
South Africa
5.50 million
in 2023
Italy rank
26th
South Africa rank
23rd

Secondary education, pupils over time

  • Italy
  • South Africa
02.0M4.0M6.0M197119972023

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 5.50 million against 4.61 million in Italy, a difference of 893,990.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Italy's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 29 shared years of data; in 1989 it was Italy ahead.

Italy ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 206 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Italy South Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 5.28 million 2.55 million 2.73 million Italy
1990s 4.85 million 3.55 million 1.30 million Italy
2000s 4.52 million 4.54 million 23,891 South Africa
2010s 4.61 million 4.96 million 354,339 South Africa
2020s 4.63 million 5.33 million 700,908 South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher secondary education, pupils, Italy or South Africa?
South Africa, at 5.50 million against 4.61 million in Italy as of 2023.
What is the difference in secondary education, pupils between Italy and South Africa?
893,990, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and South Africa?
29 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2023.
How do Italy and South Africa rank globally for secondary education, pupils?
Italy ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 206 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Secondary education, pupils. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Italy vs South Africa: Secondary education, pupils. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/secondary-education-pupils/italy/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Secondary education, pupils
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 10,025 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.