Official entrance age to lower secondary education in South Africa
South Africa: Official entrance age to lower secondary education was 14 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
14 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 215 countries
All-time high
14 years
in 1997
All-time low
13 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Official entrance age to lower secondary education in South Africa, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 14 years for official entrance age to lower secondary education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to lower secondary education in South Africa peaked at 14 years in 1997 and was at its lowest, 13 years, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 1st of 215 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Official entrance age to lower secondary education 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% |
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
- 1 Anguilla 12 years compare
- 1 Montserrat 12 years compare
- 1 Namibia 14 years compare
- 1 Tanzania, United Republic of 14 years compare
- 1 Zambia 14 years compare
- 3 Cook Islands 11 years compare
- 3 Niue 11 years compare
- 3 Saint Helena 11 years compare
- 3 Tokelau 11 years compare
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.65 million (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to lower secondary education in South Africa?
- Official entrance age to lower secondary education in South Africa was 14 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to lower secondary education recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14 years in 1997.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to lower secondary education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 13 years in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for official entrance age to lower secondary education?
- South Africa ranks 1st out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to lower secondary education 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 UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Official entrance age to lower secondary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release