Lower secondary school starting age in South Africa
South Africa: Lower secondary school starting age was 14 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Lower secondary school starting age in South Africa, 1970–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, lower secondary school starting age in South Africa stood at 14 years. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, lower secondary school starting age in South Africa peaked at 14 years in 1997 and was at its lowest, 13 years, in 1970.
That places South Africa 1st out of 209 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Lower secondary school starting age in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 13 years | — |
| 1971 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 1998 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 14 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 14 years | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 14 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 12 years, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 14 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12 years, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13 years | 13 years | 13 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 13 years | 13 years | 13 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.3 years | 13 years | 14 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 14 years | 14 years | 14 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 14 years | 14 years | 14 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 14 years | 14 years | 14 years | 6 |
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 lower secondary school starting age in South Africa?
- Lower secondary school starting age in South Africa was 14 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest lower secondary school starting age recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14 years in 1997.
- What is the lowest lower secondary school starting age recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 13 years in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for lower secondary school starting age?
- South Africa ranks 1st out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lower secondary school starting age rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Lower secondary school starting age (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Lower secondary school starting age is the age at which students would enter lower secondary education, assuming they had started at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, had studied full-time throughout and had progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade.