Poverty vs mean schooling in South Africa
South Africa: Poverty vs mean schooling was 11.49 in 2040. ▲ Rising
Poverty vs mean schooling in South Africa, 1980–2040
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 11.49 for poverty vs mean schooling in 2040. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty vs mean schooling in South Africa peaked at 11.49 in 2040 and was at its lowest, 5.18, in 1980.
South Africa ranks 60th of 146 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Poverty vs mean schooling in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 5.18 | — |
| 1985 | 5.21 | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 6.89 | +32.2% |
| 1995 | 8.37 | +21.5% |
| 2000 | 7.92 | -5.4% |
| 2005 | 8.86 | +11.9% |
| 2010 | 9.89 | +11.6% |
| 2015 | 10.15 | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 10.47 | +3.2% |
| 2025 | 10.73 | +2.5% |
| 2030 | 11.05 | +3.0% |
| 2035 | 11.27 | +2.0% |
| 2040 | 11.49 | +2.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 11.49 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.28, 1.0× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 11.49 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.54, 1.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Poverty vs mean schooling 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +32.2% | 5.21 | 6.89 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.2 | 5.18 | 5.21 | 2 |
| 1990s | 7.63 | 6.89 | 8.37 | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.39 | 7.92 | 8.86 | 2 |
| 2010s | 10.02 | 9.89 | 10.15 | 2 |
| 2020s | 10.6 | 10.47 | 10.73 | 2 |
| 2030s | 11.16 | 11.05 | 11.27 | 2 |
| 2040s | 11.49 | 11.49 | 11.49 | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 94.05 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 93.94 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty vs mean schooling in South Africa?
- Poverty vs mean schooling in South Africa was 11.49 in 2040, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty vs mean schooling recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 11.49 in 2040.
- What is the lowest poverty vs mean schooling recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.18 in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for poverty vs mean schooling?
- South Africa ranks 60th out of 146 countries with data for 2040.
- Is poverty vs mean schooling rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Poverty vs mean schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).