Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 342,928 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa, 1994–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 342,928 for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in 2023.
That represents a change of up 39.4% on the previous year and down 27.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa peaked at 1.08 million in 2000 and was at its lowest, 245,917, in 2022.
South Africa ranks 28th of 170 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 842,264 | — |
| 1999 | 1.05 million | +24.6% |
| 2000 | 1.08 million | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 1.06 million | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 953,824 | -9.7% |
| 2003 | 864,061 | -9.4% |
| 2004 | 786,828 | -8.9% |
| 2005 | 736,189 | -6.4% |
| 2017 | 475,433 | -35.4% |
| 2018 | 520,091 | +9.4% |
| 2019 | 440,899 | -15.2% |
| 2020 | 453,008 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 387,664 | -14.4% |
| 2022 | 245,917 | -36.6% |
| 2023 | 342,928 | +39.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 342,928 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 22,713, 15.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 342,928 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 251,598, 1.4× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 945,862 | 842,264 | 1.05 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 913,100 | 736,189 | 1.08 million | 6 |
| 2010s | 478,808 | 440,899 | 520,091 | 3 |
| 2020s | 357,379 | 245,917 | 453,008 | 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 and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa?
- Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa was 342,928 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.08 million in 2000.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 245,917 in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
- South Africa ranks 28th out of 170 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.9%. 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 and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release