Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 was 3.1% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa is 3.1%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.
That represents a change of down 6.5% on the previous year and down 66.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa peaked at 15.7% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 77th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 15.7% | — |
| 1999 | 14.5% | -7.6% |
| 2000 | 14.9% | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 13.9% | -6.6% |
| 2002 | 12.4% | -10.8% |
| 2003 | 11.4% | -8.3% |
| 2004 | 10.3% | -10.0% |
| 2015 | 9.4% | -8.1% |
| 2016 | 5.7% | -39.3% |
| 2017 | 4.4% | -23.4% |
| 2018 | 5.1% | +17.1% |
| 2019 | 4.4% | -13.7% |
| 2020 | 4.4% | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 3.8% | -13.1% |
| 2022 | 3.4% | -10.9% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | -6.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 3.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.5%, 2.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 3.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.6%, 19% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | -39.3% | 9.4% | 5.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.1% | 14.5% | 15.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.6% | 10.3% | 14.9% | 5 |
| 2010s | 5.8% | 4.4% | 9.4% | 5 |
| 2020s | 3.7% | 3.1% | 4.4% | 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 pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa?
- Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa was 3.1% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 15.7% in 1998.
- What is the lowest percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2?
- South Africa ranks 77th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release