Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, male was 235,855 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa, 1994–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa stood at 235,855.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.3% on the previous year and up 275.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa peaked at 641,046 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 62,897, in 2015.
That places South Africa 38th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 157,285 | — |
| 1999 | 510,351 | +224.5% |
| 2000 | 562,955 | +10.3% |
| 2001 | 641,046 | +13.9% |
| 2002 | 610,108 | -4.8% |
| 2003 | 619,057 | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 625,851 | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 602,144 | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 62,897 | -89.6% |
| 2017 | 405,286 | +544.4% |
| 2018 | 335,298 | -17.3% |
| 2019 | 322,073 | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 280,612 | -12.9% |
| 2021 | 271,982 | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 235,855 | -13.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 235,855 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17,842, 13.2× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 235,855 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 235,855, 1.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +544.4% | 62,897 | 405,286 |
| 1999 | +224.5% | 157,285 | 510,351 |
| 2015 | -89.6% | 602,144 | 62,897 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 333,818 | 157,285 | 510,351 | 2 |
| 2000s | 610,194 | 562,955 | 641,046 | 6 |
| 2010s | 281,388 | 62,897 | 405,286 | 4 |
| 2020s | 262,816 | 235,855 | 280,612 | 3 |
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 youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa?
- Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa was 235,855 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 641,046 in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 62,897 in 2015.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, male?
- South Africa ranks 38th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 275.0%. 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 youth of upper secondary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release