Net attendance rate of primary school in South Africa
South Africa: Net attendance rate of primary school was 97.3% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Net attendance rate of primary school in South Africa, 2016–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, net attendance rate of primary school in South Africa stood at 97.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net attendance rate of primary school in South Africa peaked at 98.9% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 96.9%, in 2023.
That places South Africa 16th out of 36 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 98.9% | 98.9% | 98.9% | 1 |
| 2020s | 97.5% | 96.9% | 98.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Duration of pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 25.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 101.8% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 287,310 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 2.21 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 99.2% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is net attendance rate of primary school in South Africa?
- Net attendance rate of primary school in South Africa was 97.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest net attendance rate of primary school recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 98.9% in 2016.
- What is the lowest net attendance rate of primary school recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 96.9% in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for net attendance rate of primary school?
- South Africa ranks 16th out of 36 countries with data for 2024.
- Is net attendance rate of primary school rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Net attendance rate of primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total number of students of the official age group for primary education who are attending school at any level of education, expressed as a percentage of the corresponding population.