Children out of school, primary, male in South Africa
South Africa: Children out of school, primary, male was 229,187 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Children out of school, primary, male in South Africa, 1970–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2023, children out of school, primary, male in South Africa stood at 229,187.
The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, children out of school, primary, male in South Africa peaked at 831,246 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 221,622, in 2022.
South Africa ranks 27th of 177 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Children out of school, primary, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 682,053 | — |
| 1991 | 588,708 | -13.7% |
| 1994 | 704,586 | +19.7% |
| 1995 | 787,398 | +11.8% |
| 1998 | 831,246 | +5.6% |
| 1999 | 773,365 | -7.0% |
| 2000 | 780,173 | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 740,150 | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 670,425 | -9.4% |
| 2003 | 609,168 | -9.1% |
| 2004 | 567,042 | -6.9% |
| 2005 | 548,716 | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 245,162 | -55.3% |
| 2017 | 341,718 | +39.4% |
| 2018 | 394,221 | +15.4% |
| 2019 | 356,001 | -9.7% |
| 2020 | 346,726 | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 276,591 | -20.2% |
| 2022 | 221,622 | -19.9% |
| 2023 | 229,187 | +3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 682,053 | 682,053 | 682,053 | 1 |
| 1990s | 737,061 | 588,708 | 831,246 | 5 |
| 2000s | 652,612 | 548,716 | 780,173 | 6 |
| 2010s | 334,276 | 245,162 | 394,221 | 4 |
| 2020s | 268,532 | 221,622 | 346,726 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 181,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 339,638 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,708 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is children out of school, primary, male in South Africa?
- Children out of school, primary, male in South Africa was 229,187 in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest children out of school, primary, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 831,246 in 1998.
- What is the lowest children out of school, primary, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 221,622 in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for children out of school, primary, male?
- South Africa ranks 27th out of 177 countries with data for 2023.
- Is children out of school, primary, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Children out of school, primary, male. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Children out of school are the number of primary-school-age children not enrolled in primary or secondary school.