Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 0.8444 GPIA in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa, 1994–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa is 0.8444 GPIA, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 43.1% on the previous year and down 32.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa peaked at 1.48 GPIA in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.4305 GPIA, in 1994.
South Africa ranks 110th of 162 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 0.4305 GPIA | — |
| 1999 | 0.8714 GPIA | +102.4% |
| 2000 | 0.9112 GPIA | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 0.9163 GPIA | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 0.9257 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 0.8907 GPIA | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 0.8557 GPIA | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 0.8357 GPIA | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 1.25 GPIA | +49.4% |
| 2018 | 0.7242 GPIA | -42.0% |
| 2019 | 0.8031 GPIA | +10.9% |
| 2020 | 0.7734 GPIA | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 1.11 GPIA | +43.4% |
| 2022 | 1.48 GPIA | +33.7% |
| 2023 | 0.8444 GPIA | -43.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.8444 GPIA is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.9277 GPIA, 91% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.8444 GPIA is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.9172 GPIA, 92% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age 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 | +102.4% | 0.4305 GPIA | 0.8714 GPIA |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.651 GPIA | 0.4305 GPIA | 0.8714 GPIA | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.8892 GPIA | 0.8357 GPIA | 0.9257 GPIA | 6 |
| 2010s | 0.9253 GPIA | 0.7242 GPIA | 1.25 GPIA | 3 |
| 2020s | 1.05 GPIA | 0.7734 GPIA | 1.48 GPIA | 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 rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa was 0.8444 GPIA in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.48 GPIA in 2022.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4305 GPIA in 1994.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- South Africa ranks 110th out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 of lower secondary school age, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). 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