Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in South Africa
South Africa: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both was 1.07 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.07 million
Change on year
up 3.3%
World rank
26th
of 222 countries
All-time high
1.18 million
in 1993
All-time low
621,133
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in South Africa, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in South Africa is 1.07 million, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.3% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in South Africa peaked at 1.18 million in 1993 and was at its lowest, 621,133, in 1970.
That places South Africa 26th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 621,133 | — |
| 1971 | 639,862 | +3.0% |
| 1972 | 657,409 | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 685,999 | +4.3% |
| 1974 | 707,431 | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 728,004 | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 749,456 | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 766,982 | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 788,551 | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 805,962 | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 822,529 | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 825,277 | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 836,707 | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 861,835 | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 892,152 | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 929,079 | +4.1% |
| 1986 | 945,399 | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 963,923 | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 1.00 million | +4.1% |
| 1989 | 1.06 million | +5.3% |
| 1990 | 1.11 million | +5.2% |
| 1991 | 1.16 million | +4.1% |
| 1992 | 1.18 million | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 1.18 million | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 1.15 million | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 1.16 million | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 1.14 million | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 1.15 million | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 1.12 million | -2.9% |
| 1999 | 1.13 million | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 1.10 million | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 1.10 million | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.05 million | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 1.08 million | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 1.05 million | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 1.01 million | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 983,704 | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 973,715 | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 936,677 | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 930,805 | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 923,575 | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 955,622 | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 1.00 million | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 1.04 million | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 1.08 million | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 1.09 million | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 1.16 million | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 1.11 million | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 1.10 million | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.09 million | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 1.08 million | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 1.06 million | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 1.03 million | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 1.02 million | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 1.04 million | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 1.07 million | +3.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.07 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 97,289, 11.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.07 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 414,762, 2.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 715,079 | 621,133 | 805,962 | 10 |
| 1980s | 913,775 | 822,529 | 1.06 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.15 million | 1.11 million | 1.18 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.02 million | 930,805 | 1.10 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.05 million | 923,575 | 1.16 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.05 million | 1.02 million | 1.08 million | 6 |
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 population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in South Africa?
- Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in South Africa was 1.07 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.18 million in 1993.
- What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 621,133 in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release