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 11.7% 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 11.7% for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in 2023.
That represents a change of up 538.2% on the previous year and up 153.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa peaked at 32.3% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 2022.
That places South Africa 92nd out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 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 | 10.4% | — |
| 1999 | 28.1% | +169.8% |
| 2000 | 30.3% | +7.8% |
| 2001 | 32.3% | +6.8% |
| 2002 | 29.8% | -7.9% |
| 2003 | 28.6% | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 27.6% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 26.1% | -5.4% |
| 2015 | 4.6% | -82.3% |
| 2017 | 17.4% | +277.9% |
| 2018 | 17.4% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 15.6% | -10.4% |
| 2020 | 13.9% | -10.7% |
| 2021 | 12.8% | -7.9% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | -85.7% |
| 2023 | 11.7% | +538.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 11.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.6%, 86% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 11.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 38.8%, 30% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +538.2% | 1.8% | 11.7% |
| 2017 | +277.9% | 4.6% | 17.4% |
| 1999 | +169.8% | 10.4% | 28.1% |
| 2022 | -85.7% | 12.8% | 1.8% |
| 2015 | -82.3% | 26.1% | 4.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.3% | 10.4% | 28.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 29.1% | 26.1% | 32.3% | 6 |
| 2010s | 13.7% | 4.6% | 17.4% | 4 |
| 2020s | 10.1% | 1.8% | 13.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 89 Azerbaijan 11.9% compare
- 90 Russian Federation 11.8% compare
- 91 Qatar 11.7% compare
- 93 Iceland 11.6% compare
- 94 Ukraine 11.4% compare
- 95 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 11.3% 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 11.7% 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 32.3% 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 1.8% in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
- South Africa ranks 92nd out of 179 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 up 153.7%. 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, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release