Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and was 578,783 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in South Africa, 1994–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in South Africa is 578,783, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 135.3% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in South Africa peaked at 1.70 million in 2001 and was at its lowest, 245,962, in 2022.
That places South Africa 33rd out of 171 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary and in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 999,549 | — |
| 1999 | 1.56 million | +56.1% |
| 2000 | 1.64 million | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 1.70 million | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 1.56 million | -7.8% |
| 2003 | 1.48 million | -5.2% |
| 2004 | 1.41 million | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 1.34 million | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 601,744 | -55.0% |
| 2017 | 880,719 | +46.4% |
| 2018 | 855,389 | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 762,972 | -10.8% |
| 2020 | 733,620 | -3.8% |
| 2021 | 659,646 | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 245,962 | -62.7% |
| 2023 | 578,783 | +135.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 578,783 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 36,897, 15.7× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 578,783 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 586,935, 99% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and 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 | +135.3% | 245,962 | 578,783 |
| 1999 | +56.1% | 999,549 | 1.56 million |
| 2022 | -62.7% | 659,646 | 245,962 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.28 million | 999,549 | 1.56 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.52 million | 1.34 million | 1.70 million | 6 |
| 2010s | 775,206 | 601,744 | 880,719 | 4 |
| 2020s | 554,503 | 245,962 | 733,620 | 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary and in South Africa?
- Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in South Africa was 578,783 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.70 million in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 245,962 in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and?
- South Africa ranks 33rd out of 171 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary and 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