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 14.4% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa, 1994–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa is 14.4%, measured in 2018.
That represents a change of down 25.0% on the previous year and up 65.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa peaked at 19.1% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 8.7%, in 2005.
That places South Africa 39th out of 150 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 13.4% | — |
| 1999 | 13.1% | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 14.5% | +10.3% |
| 2001 | 16.2% | +11.9% |
| 2002 | 14.8% | -8.8% |
| 2003 | 12.9% | -12.3% |
| 2004 | 10.4% | -19.8% |
| 2005 | 8.7% | -16.3% |
| 2017 | 19.1% | +120.0% |
| 2018 | 14.4% | -25.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 14.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6.2%, 2.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 14.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 21.4%, 67% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.2% | 13.1% | 13.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.9% | 8.7% | 16.2% | 6 |
| 2010s | 16.8% | 14.4% | 19.1% | 2 |
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 14.4% in 2018, 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 19.1% in 2017.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.7% in 2005.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- South Africa ranks 39th out of 150 countries with data for 2018.
- 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 up 65.1%. 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, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of adolescents of official lower secondary school age who are not enrolled in lower secondary school expressed as a percentage of the population of official lower secondary school age.