Children not in school in South Africa
South Africa: Children not in school was 21.22 in 2023. βΌ Falling
Latest (2023)
21.22
Change on year
down 5.7%
World rank
67th
of 174 countries
All-time high
62.91
in 2000
All-time low
20.8
in 2020
Years of data
10
1998β2023
Children not in school in South Africa, 1998β2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 21.22 for children not in school in 2023.
The figure is down 5.7% on the previous year and down 28.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, children not in school in South Africa peaked at 62.91 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 20.8, in 2020.
South Africa ranks 67th of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 40.41 | 36.87 | 43.94 | 2 |
| 2000s | 62.91 | 62.91 | 62.91 | 1 |
| 2010s | 25.32 | 23.04 | 29.58 | 3 |
| 2020s | 23.66 | 20.8 | 30.12 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Duration of pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 25.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 101.8% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 287,310 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs mean years of schooling 2.21 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 99.2% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is children not in school in South Africa?
- Children not in school in South Africa was 21.22 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest children not in school recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 62.91 in 2000.
- What is the lowest children not in school recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.8 in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for children not in school?
- South Africa ranks 67th out of 174 countries with data for 2023.
- Is children not in school rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Children not in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).