Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male was 349,596 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male in South Africa, 1994–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male in South Africa is 349,596, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1,358.3% on the previous year and up 36.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male in South Africa peaked at 956,756 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 23,973, in 2022.
That places South Africa 35th out of 175 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 294,963 | — |
| 1999 | 786,445 | +166.6% |
| 2000 | 864,622 | +9.9% |
| 2001 | 956,756 | +10.7% |
| 2002 | 893,507 | -6.6% |
| 2003 | 873,950 | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 845,637 | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 789,617 | -6.6% |
| 2015 | 255,818 | -67.6% |
| 2017 | 539,001 | +110.7% |
| 2018 | 461,168 | -14.4% |
| 2019 | 406,971 | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 386,894 | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 383,055 | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 23,973 | -93.7% |
| 2023 | 349,596 | +1358.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 349,596 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 27,150, 12.9× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 349,596 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 394,676, 89% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +1358.3% | 23,973 | 349,596 |
| 1999 | +166.6% | 294,963 | 786,445 |
| 2017 | +110.7% | 255,818 | 539,001 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 540,704 | 294,963 | 786,445 | 2 |
| 2000s | 870,682 | 789,617 | 956,756 | 6 |
| 2010s | 415,740 | 255,818 | 539,001 | 4 |
| 2020s | 285,880 | 23,973 | 386,894 | 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 out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male in South Africa?
- Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male in South Africa was 349,596 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 956,756 in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 23,973 in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male?
- South Africa ranks 35th out of 175 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.7%. 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, published as part of Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release