Out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male in South Africa

South Africa: Out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male was 153,347 number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
153,347 number
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
21st
of 134 countries
All-time high
206,635 number
in 1994
All-time low
102,659 number
in 2005
Years of data
10
1994–2018

Out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male in South Africa, 1994–2018

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k1994200620181994: 206.6k number1999: 150.0k number2000: 162.0k number2001: 182.9k number2002: 166.4k number2003: 149.8k number2004: 122.7k number2005: 102.7k number2017: 158.7k number2018: 153.3k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2018, out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male in South Africa stood at 153,347 number.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% on the previous year and up 49.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male in South Africa peaked at 206,635 number in 1994 and was at its lowest, 102,659 number, in 2005.

South Africa ranks 21st of 134 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.

Out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male (number) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year number Change
1994 206,635 number
1999 150,027 number -27.4%
2000 162,038 number +8.0%
2001 182,915 number +12.9%
2002 166,361 number -9.1%
2003 149,803 number -10.0%
2004 122,672 number -18.1%
2005 102,659 number -16.3%
2017 158,717 number +54.6%
2018 153,347 number -3.4%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 153,347 number is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13,969 number, 11.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 153,347 number is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 113,990 number, 1.3× the median. (26 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 178,331 number 150,027 number 206,635 number 2
2000s 147,741 number 102,659 number 182,915 number 6
2010s 156,032 number 153,347 number 158,717 number 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 18 Guatemala 182,004 number compare
  2. 19 Malawi 175,071 number compare
  3. 20 Türkiye 155,656 number compare
  4. 22 Honduras 139,693 number compare
  5. 23 Burundi 138,044 number compare
  6. 24 Germany 131,576 number compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male in South Africa?
Out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male in South Africa was 153,347 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 206,635 number in 1994.
What is the lowest out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 102,659 number in 2005.
How does South Africa rank for out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male?
South Africa ranks 21st out of 134 countries with data for 2018.
Is out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 49.4%. 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 of lower secondary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-adolescents-of-lower-secondary-school-age-male-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school adolescents of lower secondary school age, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
179 places, 3,016 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of male lower secondary school age adolescents who are not enrolled in lower secondary education.