Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, both in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, both was 3.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, both in South Africa, 2016–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, both in South Africa is 3.2%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 17.3% on the previous year and up 220.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, both in South Africa peaked at 3.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2016.
That places South Africa 24th out of 46 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, both in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1.0% | — |
| 2020 | 2.1% | +109.4% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -29.0% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | +105.9% |
| 2023 | 3.8% | +26.6% |
| 2024 | 3.2% | -17.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 3.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.6%, 2.0× the median. (14 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 3.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.7%, 56% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1 |
| 2020s | 2.7% | 1.5% | 3.8% | 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, urban, both in South Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, both in South Africa was 3.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, both recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, both recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, both?
- South Africa ranks 24th out of 46 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, both rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 220.4%. 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, urban, 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