Duration of compulsory education in South Africa
South Africa: Duration of compulsory education was 9 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
9 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
115th
of 200 countries
All-time high
9 years
in 1998
All-time low
9 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in South Africa, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 9 years for duration of compulsory education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in South Africa peaked at 9 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 9 years, in 1998.
South Africa ranks 115th of 200 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Duration of compulsory education in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9 years | — |
| 1999 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 9 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 115 Afghanistan 9 years compare
- 115 Albania 9 years compare
- 115 Azerbaijan 9 years compare
- 115 Bahrain 9 years compare
- 115 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 years compare
- 115 Brunei 9 years compare
- 115 China 9 years compare
- 115 Cuba 9 years compare
- 115 Estonia 9 years compare
- 115 Georgia 9 years compare
- 115 Gambia 9 years compare
- 115 Guinea-Bissau 9 years compare
- 115 Hong Kong 9 years compare
- 115 Indonesia 9 years compare
- 115 Iran 9 years compare
- 115 Japan 9 years compare
- 115 Kazakhstan 9 years compare
- 115 Kiribati 9 years compare
- 115 South Korea 9 years compare
- 115 Kuwait 9 years compare
- 115 Laos 9 years compare
- 115 Libya 9 years compare
- 115 Liechtenstein 9 years compare
- 115 Morocco 9 years compare
- 115 Mali 9 years compare
- 115 Montenegro 9 years compare
- 115 Mauritania 9 years compare
- 115 Nigeria 9 years compare
- 115 Nepal 9 years compare
- 115 Poland 9 years compare
- 115 Saudi Arabia 9 years compare
- 115 Sierra Leone 9 years compare
- 115 Slovenia 9 years compare
- 115 Syria 9 years compare
- 115 Thailand 9 years compare
- 115 Tajikistan 9 years compare
- 115 East Timor 9 years compare
- 115 Tunisia 9 years compare
- 115 Tuvalu 9 years compare
- 115 Yemen 9 years compare
More education data for South Africa
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 287,310 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in South Africa?
- Duration of compulsory education in South Africa was 9 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 9 years in 1998.
- How does South Africa rank for duration of compulsory education?
- South Africa ranks 115th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Duration of compulsory education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release