Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, adjusted in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, adjusted was 0.6634 LPIA in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
0.6634 LPIA
Change on year
up 18.2%
World rank
45th
of 50 countries
All-time high
1.18 LPIA
in 2016
All-time low
0.5615 LPIA
in 2023
Years of data
6
2016–2024
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, adjusted in South Africa, 2016–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, adjusted in South Africa is 0.6634 LPIA, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 18.2% on the previous year and down 43.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, adjusted in South Africa peaked at 1.18 LPIA in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.5615 LPIA, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 45th of 50 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, adjusted in South Africa, year by year
| Year | LPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1.18 LPIA | — |
| 2020 | 1.17 LPIA | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 1.14 LPIA | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 0.8476 LPIA | -25.7% |
| 2023 | 0.5615 LPIA | -33.8% |
| 2024 | 0.6634 LPIA | +18.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.6634 LPIA is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.17 LPIA, 56% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.6634 LPIA is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.6 LPIA, 41% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.18 LPIA | 1.18 LPIA | 1.18 LPIA | 1 |
| 2020s | 0.876 LPIA | 0.5615 LPIA | 1.17 LPIA | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 42 Bangladesh 0.7707 LPIA compare
- 43 Russian Federation 0.7112 LPIA compare
- 44 Brazil 0.706 LPIA compare
- 46 Costa Rica 0.6193 LPIA compare
- 47 Dominican Republic 0.5028 LPIA compare
- 48 Colombia 0.4826 LPIA compare
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 of primary school age, adjusted in South Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, adjusted in South Africa was 0.6634 LPIA in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, adjusted recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.18 LPIA in 2016.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, adjusted recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5615 LPIA in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, adjusted?
- South Africa ranks 45th out of 50 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, adjusted rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.6%. 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 of primary school age, adjusted location parity index (household survey data) (LPIA). 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