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 8.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa, 1994–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa stood at 8.8%.
The figure is up 102.5% on the previous year and down 53.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa peaked at 24.0% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 2022.
South Africa ranks 65th of 162 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 of lower secondary school age in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 4.5% | — |
| 1999 | 20.6% | +355.2% |
| 2000 | 23.0% | +11.7% |
| 2001 | 24.0% | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 21.9% | -9.0% |
| 2003 | 19.1% | -12.7% |
| 2004 | 16.1% | -15.9% |
| 2005 | 13.7% | -14.7% |
| 2017 | 18.8% | +37.4% |
| 2018 | 9.5% | -49.5% |
| 2019 | 6.9% | -27.5% |
| 2020 | 8.0% | +16.2% |
| 2021 | 11.8% | +46.9% |
| 2022 | 4.4% | -62.9% |
| 2023 | 8.8% | +102.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 8.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.9%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 8.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.7%, 31% 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 | +355.2% | 4.5% | 20.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.5% | 4.5% | 20.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 19.6% | 13.7% | 24.0% | 6 |
| 2010s | 11.7% | 6.9% | 18.8% | 3 |
| 2020s | 8.2% | 4.4% | 11.8% | 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 8.8% 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 24.0% in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- South Africa ranks 65th 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 53.1%. 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 of lower secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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