Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 0.8487 GPIA in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa, 1994–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa is 0.8487 GPIA, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 24.6% on the previous year and up 72.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa peaked at 1.13 GPIA in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.42 GPIA, in 2021.
South Africa ranks 113th of 171 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 0.7397 GPIA | — |
| 1999 | 0.8677 GPIA | +17.3% |
| 2000 | 0.9188 GPIA | +5.9% |
| 2001 | 0.8981 GPIA | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 0.89 GPIA | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 0.8866 GPIA | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 0.8845 GPIA | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 0.8802 GPIA | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 0.4934 GPIA | -43.9% |
| 2018 | 0.8182 GPIA | +65.8% |
| 2019 | 0.8362 GPIA | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 0.795 GPIA | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 0.42 GPIA | -47.2% |
| 2022 | 1.13 GPIA | +168.1% |
| 2023 | 0.8487 GPIA | -24.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.8487 GPIA is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.8623 GPIA, 98% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.8487 GPIA is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.9304 GPIA, 91% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +168.1% | 0.42 GPIA | 1.13 GPIA |
| 2018 | +65.8% | 0.4934 GPIA | 0.8182 GPIA |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.8037 GPIA | 0.7397 GPIA | 0.8677 GPIA | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.893 GPIA | 0.8802 GPIA | 0.9188 GPIA | 6 |
| 2010s | 0.7159 GPIA | 0.4934 GPIA | 0.8362 GPIA | 3 |
| 2020s | 0.7974 GPIA | 0.42 GPIA | 1.13 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa was 0.8487 GPIA in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.13 GPIA in 2022.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.42 GPIA in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- South Africa ranks 113th out of 171 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 72.0%. 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper 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