Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public was 1.0% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
1.0%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
46th
of 176 countries
All-time high
1.0%
in 1999
All-time low
1.0%
in 2016
Years of data
11
1999–2023
Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in South Africa, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.0% for percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in South Africa peaked at 1.0% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2016.
That places South Africa 46th out of 176 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1.0% | — |
| 2000 | 1.0% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | +0.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.0%, 1.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.0%, 98% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 4 |
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 percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in South Africa?
- Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in South Africa was 1.0% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.0% in 1999.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public?
- South Africa ranks 46th out of 176 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public institutions, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release