Children out of school, primary in South Africa
South Africa: Children out of school, primary was 448,146 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Children out of school, primary in South Africa, 1970–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
South Africa recorded 448,146 for children out of school, primary in 2023.
That represents a change of up 4.1% on the previous year and down 33.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, children out of school, primary in South Africa peaked at 1.49 million in 1998 and was at its lowest, 288,480, in 2021.
That places South Africa 24th out of 197 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Children out of school, primary in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.28 million | — |
| 1991 | 989,742 | -23.0% |
| 1994 | 1.28 million | +29.7% |
| 1995 | 1.45 million | +12.8% |
| 1998 | 1.49 million | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 1.38 million | -7.7% |
| 2000 | 1.43 million | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 1.33 million | -7.4% |
| 2002 | 1.18 million | -10.9% |
| 2003 | 1.08 million | -8.4% |
| 2004 | 1.01 million | -6.2% |
| 2005 | 976,269 | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 676,716 | -30.7% |
| 2017 | 761,156 | +12.5% |
| 2018 | 701,278 | -7.9% |
| 2019 | 630,820 | -10.0% |
| 2020 | 620,737 | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 288,480 | -53.5% |
| 2022 | 430,540 | +49.2% |
| 2023 | 448,146 | +4.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.28 million | 1.28 million | 1.28 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 1.32 million | 989,742 | 1.49 million | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.17 million | 976,269 | 1.43 million | 6 |
| 2010s | 692,492 | 630,820 | 761,156 | 4 |
| 2020s | 446,976 | 288,480 | 620,737 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.68 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.97 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 818,404 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 3.28 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.19 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -2.55 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 225,583 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 61,727 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 748,573 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -1.43 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is children out of school, primary in South Africa?
- Children out of school, primary in South Africa was 448,146 in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest children out of school, primary recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.49 million in 1998.
- What is the lowest children out of school, primary recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 288,480 in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for children out of school, primary?
- South Africa ranks 24th out of 197 countries with data for 2023.
- Is children out of school, primary rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.8%. 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. 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.