Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted was 1.11 LPIA in 2024. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary 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 youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted in South Africa is 1.11 LPIA, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.5% on the previous year and up 57.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted in South Africa peaked at 1.11 LPIA in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.7035 LPIA, in 2016.
That places South Africa 51st out of 73 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted in South Africa, year by year
| Year | LPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.7035 LPIA | — |
| 2020 | 0.831 LPIA | +18.1% |
| 2021 | 0.7734 LPIA | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 0.8911 LPIA | +15.2% |
| 2023 | 0.9441 LPIA | +5.9% |
| 2024 | 1.11 LPIA | +17.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.11 LPIA is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.41 LPIA, 79% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.11 LPIA is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.29 LPIA, 86% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.7035 LPIA | 0.7035 LPIA | 0.7035 LPIA | 1 |
| 2020s | 0.9098 LPIA | 0.7734 LPIA | 1.11 LPIA | 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 youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted in South Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted in South Africa was 1.11 LPIA in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.11 LPIA in 2024.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7035 LPIA in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted?
- South Africa ranks 51st out of 73 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 57.7%. 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 youth of upper secondary 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