Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes was 448,146 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
448,146
Change on year
up 4.1%
World rank
24th
of 204 countries
All-time high
1.49 million
in 1998
All-time low
288,480
in 2021
Years of data
20
1970–2023
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in South Africa, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 448,146 for out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.1% on the previous year and down 33.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 1.49 million in 1998 and was at its lowest, 288,480, in 2021.
South Africa ranks 24th of 204 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.28 million | — |
| 1991 | 989,742 | -23.0% |
| 1994 | 1.28 million | +29.7% |
| 1995 | 1.45 million | +12.8% |
| 1998 | 1.49 million | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 1.38 million | -7.7% |
| 2000 | 1.43 million | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 1.33 million | -7.4% |
| 2002 | 1.18 million | -10.9% |
| 2003 | 1.08 million | -8.4% |
| 2004 | 1.01 million | -6.2% |
| 2005 | 976,269 | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 676,716 | -30.7% |
| 2017 | 761,156 | +12.5% |
| 2018 | 701,278 | -7.9% |
| 2019 | 630,820 | -10.0% |
| 2020 | 620,737 | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 288,480 | -53.5% |
| 2022 | 430,540 | +49.2% |
| 2023 | 448,146 | +4.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 448,146 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21,296, 21.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 448,146 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 224,299, 2.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.28 million | 1.28 million | 1.28 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 1.32 million | 989,742 | 1.49 million | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.17 million | 976,269 | 1.43 million | 6 |
| 2010s | 692,492 | 630,820 | 761,156 | 4 |
| 2020s | 446,976 | 288,480 | 620,737 | 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 of primary school age, both sexes in South Africa?
- Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in South Africa was 448,146 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.49 million in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 288,480 in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 24th out of 204 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.8%. 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 of primary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release