Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male was 17.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
17.3%
Change on year
up 16.3%
World rank
30th
of 71 countries
All-time high
26.5%
in 2021
All-time low
14.9%
in 2023
Years of data
6
2016–2024
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa, 2016–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa stood at 17.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 16.3% on the previous year and down 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa peaked at 26.5% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 14.9%, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 30th of 71 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 17.6% | — |
| 2020 | 19.2% | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 26.5% | +38.5% |
| 2022 | 16.0% | -39.7% |
| 2023 | 14.9% | -7.2% |
| 2024 | 17.3% | +16.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 17.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.3%, 1.2× the median. (15 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 17.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 42.9%, 40% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 17.6% | 17.6% | 17.6% | 1 |
| 2020s | 18.8% | 14.9% | 26.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 27 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 18.9%
- 28 Switzerland 18.5% compare
- 29 Kyrgyzstan 18.0% compare
- 31 Armenia 15.5% compare
- 32 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 14.7% compare
- 33 Kenya 14.6% 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 youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa was 17.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 26.5% in 2021.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.9% in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male?
- South Africa ranks 30th out of 71 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. 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 youth of upper secondary school age, male (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