Inequality in education in South Africa
South Africa: Inequality in education was 0.1729 in 2023. β² Rising
Latest (2023)
0.1729
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
75th
of 184 countries
All-time high
0.1729
in 2016
All-time low
0.1427
in 2014
Years of data
12
2012β2023
Inequality in education in South Africa, 2012β2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for inequality in education in South Africa is 0.1729, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of up 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in education in South Africa peaked at 0.1729 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.1427, in 2014.
South Africa ranks 75th of 184 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.1623 | 0.1427 | 0.1729 | 8 |
| 2020s | 0.1729 | 0.1729 | 0.1729 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 101.8% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0045 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is inequality in education in South Africa?
- Inequality in education in South Africa was 0.1729 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality in education recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1729 in 2016.
- What is the lowest inequality in education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1427 in 2014.
- How does South Africa rank for inequality in education?
- South Africa ranks 75th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in education rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).