Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural was 19.1% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
19.1%
Change on year
up 6.2%
World rank
28th
of 68 countries
All-time high
25.9%
in 2021
All-time low
16.9%
in 2022
Years of data
6
2016–2024
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural 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, rural in South Africa stood at 19.1%.
The figure is up 6.2% on the previous year and up 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in South Africa peaked at 25.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 16.9%, in 2022.
South Africa ranks 28th of 68 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 17.3% | — |
| 2020 | 22.3% | +29.4% |
| 2021 | 25.9% | +16.0% |
| 2022 | 16.9% | -34.7% |
| 2023 | 18.0% | +6.4% |
| 2024 | 19.1% | +6.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 19.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 16.9%, 1.1× the median. (14 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 19.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 53.9%, 35% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 17.3% | 17.3% | 17.3% | 1 |
| 2020s | 20.4% | 16.9% | 25.9% | 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, rural in South Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in South Africa was 19.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 25.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.9% in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural?
- South Africa ranks 28th out of 68 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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, rural, female (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