Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 2.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in South Africa, 2016–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 2.7% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in 2024.
That represents a change of down 13.1% on the previous year and up 151.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 3.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2016.
South Africa ranks 29th of 47 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1.1% | — |
| 2020 | 2.2% | +106.7% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | -30.2% |
| 2022 | 2.8% | +81.5% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | +10.6% |
| 2024 | 2.7% | -13.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 2.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.1%, 1.3× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 2.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.5%, 19% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1 |
| 2020s | 2.5% | 1.6% | 3.1% | 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 children of primary school age, both sexes in South Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in South Africa was 2.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 3.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 29th out of 47 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 151.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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, both sexes (household survey data) (%). 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