Girls and boys who are out of school in South Africa
South Africa: Girls and boys who are out of school was 218,959 girls in 2023. ▼ Falling
Girls and boys who are out of school in South Africa, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in girls.
Analysis
The most recent figure for girls and boys who are out of school in South Africa is 218,959 girls, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 4.8% on the previous year and down 49.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, girls and boys who are out of school in South Africa peaked at 660,684 girls in 1995 and was at its lowest, 11,889 girls, in 2021.
South Africa ranks 26th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Girls and boys who are out of school in South Africa, year by year
| Year | girls | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 602,672 girls | — |
| 1991 | 401,034 girls | -33.5% |
| 1994 | 579,257 girls | +44.4% |
| 1995 | 660,684 girls | +14.1% |
| 1998 | 660,625 girls | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 603,533 girls | -8.6% |
| 2000 | 650,414 girls | +7.8% |
| 2001 | 585,074 girls | -10.0% |
| 2002 | 509,888 girls | -12.9% |
| 2003 | 471,652 girls | -7.5% |
| 2004 | 446,721 girls | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 427,553 girls | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 431,554 girls | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 419,438 girls | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 307,057 girls | -26.8% |
| 2019 | 274,819 girls | -10.5% |
| 2020 | 274,011 girls | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 11,889 girls | -95.7% |
| 2022 | 208,918 girls | +1657.2% |
| 2023 | 218,959 girls | +4.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 218,959 girls is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13,485 girls, 16.2× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 218,959 girls is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 136,564 girls, 1.6× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Girls and boys who are out of school in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +1657.2% | 11,889 girls | 208,918 girls |
| 2021 | -95.7% | 274,011 girls | 11,889 girls |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 602,672 girls | 602,672 girls | 602,672 girls | 1 |
| 1990s | 581,027 girls | 401,034 girls | 660,684 girls | 5 |
| 2000s | 515,217 girls | 427,553 girls | 650,414 girls | 6 |
| 2010s | 358,217 girls | 274,819 girls | 431,554 girls | 4 |
| 2020s | 178,444 girls | 11,889 girls | 274,011 girls | 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 girls and boys who are out of school in South Africa?
- Girls and boys who are out of school in South Africa was 218,959 girls in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest girls and boys who are out of school recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 660,684 girls in 1995.
- What is the lowest girls and boys who are out of school recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,889 girls in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for girls and boys who are out of school?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is girls and boys who are out of school rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Girls and boys who are out of school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Girls in the official primary school age range who are not enrolled in either primary or secondary education.