Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in South Africa

South Africa: Enrolment in pre-primary education, female was 408,859 number in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
408,859 number
Change on year
down 4.2%
World rank
39th
of 196 countries
All-time high
427,041 number
in 2015
All-time low
103,387 number
in 1999
Years of data
23
1994–2018

Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in South Africa, 1994–2018

100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k1994200620181994: 142.6k number1996: 166.1k number1998: 123.0k number1999: 103.4k number2000: 160.0k number2001: 178.9k number2002: 159.7k number2003: 173.2k number2004: 193.9k number2005: 219.5k number2006: 236.3k number2007: 259.9k number2008: 291.2k number2009: 332.4k number2010: 376.4k number2011: 374.6k number2012: 405.4k number2013: 408.1k number2014: 426.3k number2015: 427.0k number2016: 418.8k number2017: 426.9k number2018: 408.9k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2018, enrolment in pre-primary education, female in South Africa stood at 408,859 number.

The figure is down 4.2% on the previous year and up 40.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in pre-primary education, female in South Africa peaked at 427,041 number in 2015 and was at its lowest, 103,387 number, in 1999.

That places South Africa 39th out of 196 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year number Change
1994 142,635 number
1996 166,060 number +16.4%
1998 122,969 number -25.9%
1999 103,387 number -15.9%
2000 160,014 number +54.8%
2001 178,897 number +11.8%
2002 159,669 number -10.7%
2003 173,206 number +8.5%
2004 193,909 number +12.0%
2005 219,526 number +13.2%
2006 236,303 number +7.6%
2007 259,880 number +10.0%
2008 291,155 number +12.0%
2009 332,351 number +14.1%
2010 376,423 number +13.3%
2011 374,646 number -0.5%
2012 405,392 number +8.2%
2013 408,106 number +0.7%
2014 426,252 number +4.4%
2015 427,041 number +0.2%
2016 418,812 number -1.9%
2017 426,889 number +1.9%
2018 408,859 number -4.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 133,763 number 103,387 number 166,060 number 4
2000s 220,491 number 159,669 number 332,351 number 10
2010s 408,047 number 374,646 number 427,041 number 9

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 36 Madagascar 468,442 number compare
  2. 37 Nepal 452,259 number compare
  3. 38 Uzbekistan 412,223 number compare
  4. 40 Angola 368,312 number compare
  5. 41 Iran, Islamic Republic of 349,658 number compare
  6. 42 Morocco 348,431 number compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in pre-primary education, female in South Africa?
Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in South Africa was 408,859 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in pre-primary education, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 427,041 number in 2015.
What is the lowest enrolment in pre-primary education, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 103,387 number in 1999.
How does South Africa rank for enrolment in pre-primary education, female?
South Africa ranks 39th out of 196 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in pre-primary education, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 40.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in pre-primary education, female in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-pre-primary-education-female-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
241 places, 7,204 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of female students enrolled in public and private pre-primary education institutions (ISCED 0.2) regardless of age. Within ISCED 0, early childhood educational development programmes are targeted at children aged 0 to 2 years; and pre-primary education programmes are targeted at children aged 3 years until the age to start ISCED 1.