Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 10.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa, 1994–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 10.2% for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in 2023.
The figure is up 275.3% on the previous year and down 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa peaked at 31.7% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2022.
South Africa ranks 97th of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 6.7% | — |
| 1999 | 27.1% | +307.1% |
| 2000 | 29.9% | +10.4% |
| 2001 | 31.7% | +6.1% |
| 2002 | 29.3% | -7.6% |
| 2003 | 27.9% | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 26.6% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 25.2% | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 12.5% | -50.5% |
| 2018 | 15.8% | +26.9% |
| 2019 | 14.6% | -7.8% |
| 2020 | 12.2% | -15.9% |
| 2021 | 10.5% | -14.4% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | -74.1% |
| 2023 | 10.2% | +275.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 10.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 12.8%, 80% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 10.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 38.3%, 27% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +307.1% | 6.7% | 27.1% |
| 2023 | +275.3% | 2.7% | 10.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.9% | 6.7% | 27.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 28.4% | 25.2% | 31.7% | 6 |
| 2010s | 14.3% | 12.5% | 15.8% | 3 |
| 2020s | 8.9% | 2.7% | 12.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 94 Liechtenstein 10.5% compare
- 95 Ukraine 10.4% compare
- 96 Qatar 10.4% compare
- 98 Bosnia and Herzegovina 10.0% compare
- 99 Cape Verde 9.8% compare
- 100 Palestine, State of 9.7% 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 rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa was 10.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 31.7% in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
- South Africa ranks 97th out of 175 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.1%. 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 rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, female (%). 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