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 0.6452 LPIA in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
0.6452 LPIA
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
49th
of 50 countries
All-time high
1.24 LPIA
in 2021
All-time low
0.543 LPIA
in 2022
Years of data
6
2016–2024
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa, 2016–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.6452 LPIA for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in 2024.
That represents a change of down 3.8% on the previous year and down 33.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa peaked at 1.24 LPIA in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.543 LPIA, in 2022.
South Africa ranks 49th of 50 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa, year by year
| Year | LPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.9633 LPIA | — |
| 2020 | 0.8889 LPIA | -7.7% |
| 2021 | 1.24 LPIA | +39.4% |
| 2022 | 0.543 LPIA | -56.2% |
| 2023 | 0.671 LPIA | +23.6% |
| 2024 | 0.6452 LPIA | -3.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.6452 LPIA is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.4 LPIA, 46% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.6452 LPIA is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.51 LPIA, 43% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.9633 LPIA | 0.9633 LPIA | 0.9633 LPIA | 1 |
| 2020s | 0.7975 LPIA | 0.543 LPIA | 1.24 LPIA | 5 |
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 0.6452 LPIA in 2024, 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 1.24 LPIA in 2021.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.543 LPIA in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- South Africa ranks 49th out of 50 countries with data for 2024.
- 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 33.0%. 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 of lower secondary school age, adjusted location parity index (household survey data) (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release