Population of compulsory school age, female in South Africa
South Africa: Population of compulsory school age, female was 4.74 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
4.74 million
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
28th
of 197 countries
All-time high
5.16 million
in 1999
All-time low
4.30 million
in 2012
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Population of compulsory school age, female in South Africa, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 4.74 million for population of compulsory school age, female in 2025.
The figure is up 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, female in South Africa peaked at 5.16 million in 1999 and was at its lowest, 4.30 million, in 2012.
That places South Africa 28th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 5.15 million | — |
| 1999 | 5.16 million | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 5.14 million | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 5.10 million | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 5.02 million | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 4.96 million | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 4.90 million | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 4.81 million | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 4.73 million | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 4.66 million | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 4.56 million | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 4.48 million | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 4.39 million | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 4.34 million | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 4.30 million | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 4.33 million | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 4.38 million | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 4.43 million | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 4.52 million | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 4.57 million | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 4.66 million | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 4.73 million | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 4.79 million | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 4.81 million | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 4.78 million | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 4.76 million | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 4.74 million | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 4.74 million | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.16 million | 5.15 million | 5.16 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.83 million | 4.48 million | 5.14 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.46 million | 4.30 million | 4.73 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.77 million | 4.74 million | 4.81 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.65 million (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, female in South Africa?
- Population of compulsory school age, female in South Africa was 4.74 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.16 million in 1999.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.30 million in 2012.
- How does South Africa rank for population of compulsory school age, female?
- South Africa ranks 28th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.1%. 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 Population of compulsory school age, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release