Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 0.9231 GPIA in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Africa, 1994–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.9231 GPIA for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2023.
That represents a change of down 11.6% on the previous year and up 37.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Africa peaked at 1.04 GPIA in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.3521 GPIA, in 2021.
That places South Africa 97th out of 169 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 0.7786 GPIA | — |
| 1999 | 0.8194 GPIA | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 0.8712 GPIA | +6.3% |
| 2001 | 0.8431 GPIA | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 0.8242 GPIA | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 0.8236 GPIA | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 0.8224 GPIA | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 0.8096 GPIA | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 0.6704 GPIA | -17.2% |
| 2018 | 0.7804 GPIA | +16.4% |
| 2019 | 0.7909 GPIA | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 0.796 GPIA | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 0.3521 GPIA | -55.8% |
| 2022 | 1.04 GPIA | +196.6% |
| 2023 | 0.9231 GPIA | -11.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.9231 GPIA is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.9231 GPIA, 1.0× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.9231 GPIA is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1 GPIA, 92% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower 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 | +196.6% | 0.3521 GPIA | 1.04 GPIA |
| 2021 | -55.8% | 0.796 GPIA | 0.3521 GPIA |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.799 GPIA | 0.7786 GPIA | 0.8194 GPIA | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.8324 GPIA | 0.8096 GPIA | 0.8712 GPIA | 6 |
| 2010s | 0.7473 GPIA | 0.6704 GPIA | 0.7909 GPIA | 3 |
| 2020s | 0.7789 GPIA | 0.3521 GPIA | 1.04 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in South Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Africa was 0.9231 GPIA in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.04 GPIA in 2022.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3521 GPIA in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- South Africa ranks 97th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.7%. 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 and adolescents of primary and lower 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