Out-of-school children of primary school age, female in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school children of primary school age, female was 218,959 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school children of primary school age, female in South Africa, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school children of primary school age, female in South Africa stood at 218,959.
The figure is up 4.8% on the previous year and down 49.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children of primary school age, female in South Africa peaked at 660,684 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 11,889, in 2021.
South Africa ranks 26th of 180 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, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 602,672 | — |
| 1991 | 401,034 | -33.5% |
| 1994 | 579,257 | +44.4% |
| 1995 | 660,684 | +14.1% |
| 1998 | 660,625 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 603,533 | -8.6% |
| 2000 | 650,414 | +7.8% |
| 2001 | 585,074 | -10.0% |
| 2002 | 509,888 | -12.9% |
| 2003 | 471,652 | -7.5% |
| 2004 | 446,721 | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 427,553 | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 431,554 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 419,438 | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 307,057 | -26.8% |
| 2019 | 274,819 | -10.5% |
| 2020 | 274,011 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 11,889 | -95.7% |
| 2022 | 208,918 | +1657.2% |
| 2023 | 218,959 | +4.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 218,959 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13,485, 16.2× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 218,959 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 136,564, 1.6× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school children of primary school age, female 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +1657.2% | 11,889 | 208,918 |
| 2021 | -95.7% | 274,011 | 11,889 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 602,672 | 602,672 | 602,672 | 1 |
| 1990s | 581,027 | 401,034 | 660,684 | 5 |
| 2000s | 515,217 | 427,553 | 650,414 | 6 |
| 2010s | 358,217 | 274,819 | 431,554 | 4 |
| 2020s | 178,444 | 11,889 | 274,011 | 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, female in South Africa?
- Out-of-school children of primary school age, female in South Africa was 218,959 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children of primary school age, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 660,684 in 1995.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children of primary school age, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,889 in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school children of primary school age, female?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school children of primary school age, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.3%. 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, female (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