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 17.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
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 17.5%.
The figure is up 36.1% on the previous year and up 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural in South Africa peaked at 23.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 12.6%, in 2022.
That places South Africa 35th out of 68 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 | 16.1% | — |
| 2020 | 17.6% | +8.9% |
| 2021 | 23.6% | +34.5% |
| 2022 | 12.6% | -46.8% |
| 2023 | 12.8% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 17.5% | +36.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 17.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18.8%, 93% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 17.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 49.4%, 35% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 16.1% | 16.1% | 16.1% | 1 |
| 2020s | 16.8% | 12.6% | 23.6% | 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 17.5% 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 23.6% 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 12.6% in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, rural?
- South Africa ranks 35th 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 8.4%. 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, rural, 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