Repeaters in Grade 6 of primary education, both sexes in South Africa

South Africa: Repeaters in Grade 6 of primary education, both sexes was 42,526 number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
42,526 number
Change on year
down 13.0%
World rank
13th
of 141 countries
All-time high
85,779 number
in 1991
All-time low
42,526 number
in 2018
Years of data
10
1991–2018

Repeaters in Grade 6 of primary education, both sexes in South Africa, 1991–2018

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k1991200420181991: 85.8k number1998: 56.0k number1999: 83.5k number2000: 70.2k number2002: 62.8k number2003: 47.2k number2004: 63.7k number2015: 57.4k number2016: 48.9k number2018: 42.5k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2018, repeaters in grade 6 of primary education, both sexes in South Africa stood at 42,526 number. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.

The figure is down 13.0% on the previous year and down 33.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, repeaters in grade 6 of primary education, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 85,779 number in 1991 and was at its lowest, 42,526 number, in 2018.

South Africa ranks 13th of 141 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.

Repeaters in Grade 6 of primary education, both sexes in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Repeaters in Grade 6 of primary education, both sexes (number) in South Africa, 1991 to 2018.
Year number Change
1991 85,779 number
1998 56,013 number -34.7%
1999 83,453 number +49.0%
2000 70,214 number -15.9%
2002 62,766 number -10.6%
2003 47,237 number -24.7%
2004 63,689 number +34.8%
2015 57,427 number -9.8%
2016 48,880 number -14.9%
2018 42,526 number -13.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 75,082 number 56,013 number 85,779 number 3
2000s 60,976 number 47,237 number 70,214 number 4
2010s 49,611 number 42,526 number 57,427 number 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 10 Côte d'Ivoire 51,625 number compare
  2. 11 Burundi 49,648 number compare
  3. 12 Niger 45,724 number compare
  4. 14 Benin 42,082 number compare
  5. 15 Algeria 41,725 number compare
  6. 16 Kenya 41,037 number compare

See the full ranking of 141 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is repeaters in grade 6 of primary education, both sexes in South Africa?
Repeaters in grade 6 of primary education, both sexes in South Africa was 42,526 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest repeaters in grade 6 of primary education, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 85,779 number in 1991.
What is the lowest repeaters in grade 6 of primary education, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 42,526 number in 2018.
How does South Africa rank for repeaters in grade 6 of primary education, both sexes?
South Africa ranks 13th out of 141 countries with data for 2018.
Is repeaters in grade 6 of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 33.2%. 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 Repeaters in Grade 6 of primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Repeaters in Grade 6 of primary education, both sexes in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/repeaters-in-grade-6-of-primary-education-both-sexes-number/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/repeaters-in-grade-6-of-primary-education-both-sexes-number/south-africa/">Repeaters in Grade 6 of primary education, both sexes in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Repeaters in Grade 6 of primary education, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
141 places, 3,622 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Number of pupils in the specified grade who are enrolled in the same grade for a second (or further) year.