Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban was 17.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in South Africa, 2016–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in South Africa is 17.1%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 5.2% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in South Africa peaked at 28.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 16.3%, in 2023.
That places South Africa 27th 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, urban in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 18.8% | — |
| 2020 | 20.5% | +9.0% |
| 2021 | 28.6% | +39.3% |
| 2022 | 18.2% | -36.4% |
| 2023 | 16.3% | -10.3% |
| 2024 | 17.1% | +5.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 17.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.3%, 1.3× the median. (15 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 17.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 29.1%, 59% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 18.8% | 18.8% | 18.8% | 1 |
| 2020s | 20.1% | 16.3% | 28.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 24 Ghana 19.7% compare
- 25 Switzerland 19.7% compare
- 26 Armenia 17.7% compare
- 28 Sierra Leone 14.4%
- 29 El Salvador 14.3% compare
- 30 China 13.8%
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, urban in South Africa?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in South Africa was 17.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 28.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.3% in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban?
- South Africa ranks 27th out of 68 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. 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, urban, 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