Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in South Africa
South Africa: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male was 590,215 number in 2020. ▲ Rising
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in South Africa, 1970–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in South Africa is 590,215 number, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 20.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in South Africa peaked at 590,215 number in 2020 and was at its lowest, 311,442 number, in 1970.
That places South Africa 21st out of 206 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 311,442 number | — |
| 1971 | 319,819 number | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 327,994 number | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 335,925 number | +2.4% |
| 1974 | 343,571 number | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 350,952 number | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 360,837 number | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 371,376 number | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 382,119 number | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 392,536 number | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 401,949 number | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 411,998 number | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 421,093 number | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 429,837 number | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 438,888 number | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 449,138 number | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 462,726 number | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 478,729 number | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 495,515 number | +3.5% |
| 1989 | 511,505 number | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 524,450 number | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 533,549 number | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 540,005 number | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 543,769 number | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 544,671 number | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 543,064 number | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 540,399 number | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 538,491 number | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 530,029 number | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 519,607 number | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 508,873 number | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 502,036 number | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 496,000 number | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 490,690 number | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 485,951 number | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 481,644 number | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 479,483 number | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 479,321 number | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 481,108 number | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 484,894 number | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 490,595 number | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 497,863 number | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 510,421 number | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 526,011 number | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 542,332 number | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 557,362 number | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 570,239 number | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 579,041 number | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 584,663 number | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 588,087 number | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 590,215 number | +0.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 590,215 number is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 60,052 number, 9.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 590,215 number is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 181,214 number, 3.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 349,657 number | 311,442 number | 392,536 number | 10 |
| 1980s | 450,138 number | 401,949 number | 511,505 number | 10 |
| 1990s | 535,803 number | 519,607 number | 544,671 number | 10 |
| 2000s | 489,000 number | 479,321 number | 508,873 number | 10 |
| 2010s | 544,661 number | 490,595 number | 588,087 number | 10 |
| 2020s | 590,215 number | 590,215 number | 590,215 number | 1 |
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, male in South Africa?
- Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in South Africa was 590,215 number in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 590,215 number in 2020.
- What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 311,442 number in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, male?
- South Africa ranks 21st out of 206 countries with data for 2020.
- Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.3%. 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, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Male population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to the official entrance age to primary education. The official entrance age is the age at which students would enter a given programme or level of education assuming they start at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, study full-time throughout and progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade. The theoretical entrance age to a given programme or level is typically, but not always, the most common entrance age.