Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry was 220,015 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa is 220,015, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.6% on the previous year and down 35.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa peaked at 693,750 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 220,015, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 25th of 180 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 children, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 415,548 | — |
| 1999 | 485,225 | +16.8% |
| 2000 | 693,750 | +43.0% |
| 2015 | 341,374 | -50.8% |
| 2018 | 252,729 | -26.0% |
| 2019 | 256,474 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 224,961 | -12.3% |
| 2021 | 318,148 | +41.4% |
| 2022 | 230,647 | -27.5% |
| 2023 | 220,015 | -4.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 220,015 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 8,627, 25.5× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 220,015 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 97,400, 2.3× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 450,386 | 415,548 | 485,225 | 2 |
| 2000s | 693,750 | 693,750 | 693,750 | 1 |
| 2010s | 283,526 | 252,729 | 341,374 | 3 |
| 2020s | 248,443 | 220,015 | 318,148 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 22 Madagascar 294,058 compare
- 23 Saudi Arabia 255,645 compare
- 24 Algeria 247,782 compare
- 26 Syria 210,058 compare
- 27 Tajikistan 207,316 compare
- 28 Guinea 200,479 compare
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, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa?
- Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa was 220,015 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 693,750 in 2000.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 220,015 in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry?
- South Africa ranks 25th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.6%. 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, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release