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 7.7% 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 %.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa stood at 7.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 73.6% on the previous year and down 34.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa peaked at 22.0% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 2021.
That places South Africa 89th out of 171 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 12.2% | — |
| 1999 | 19.8% | +62.3% |
| 2000 | 21.9% | +10.7% |
| 2001 | 22.0% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 20.2% | -8.4% |
| 2003 | 19.1% | -5.2% |
| 2004 | 18.3% | -4.2% |
| 2005 | 17.5% | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 11.9% | -32.2% |
| 2018 | 11.2% | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 10.1% | -9.5% |
| 2020 | 9.2% | -9.1% |
| 2021 | 4.4% | -52.6% |
| 2022 | 4.4% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 7.7% | +73.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 7.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.5%, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 7.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 23.5%, 33% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +73.6% | 4.4% | 7.7% |
| 1999 | +62.3% | 12.2% | 19.8% |
| 2021 | -52.6% | 9.2% | 4.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.0% | 12.2% | 19.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 19.8% | 17.5% | 22.0% | 6 |
| 2010s | 11.1% | 10.1% | 11.9% | 3 |
| 2020s | 6.4% | 4.4% | 9.2% | 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 7.7% 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 22.0% in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- South Africa ranks 89th 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 down 34.9%. 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, female (%). 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