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 0.5454 GPIA in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa, 2016–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.5454 GPIA for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 55.4% on the previous year and down 32.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in South Africa peaked at 1.42 GPIA in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.5454 GPIA, in 2024.
South Africa ranks 31st of 35 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 | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.8055 GPIA | — |
| 2020 | 1.42 GPIA | +76.5% |
| 2021 | 1.08 GPIA | -23.9% |
| 2022 | 0.7096 GPIA | -34.4% |
| 2023 | 1.22 GPIA | +72.2% |
| 2024 | 0.5454 GPIA | -55.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.5454 GPIA is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.7326 GPIA, 74% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.5454 GPIA is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.04 GPIA, 53% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.8055 GPIA | 0.8055 GPIA | 0.8055 GPIA | 1 |
| 2020s | 0.996 GPIA | 0.5454 GPIA | 1.42 GPIA | 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 0.5454 GPIA 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 1.42 GPIA in 2020.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5454 GPIA in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- South Africa ranks 31st out of 35 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 32.3%. 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, urban, adjusted gender parity index (household survey data) (GPIA). 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