Repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male in South Africa

South Africa: Repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male was 163,232 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
163,232
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
8th
of 191 countries
All-time high
195,698
in 2019
All-time low
75,846
in 2003
Years of data
12
2000–2023

Repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male in South Africa, 2000–2023

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k2000201120232000: 163.1k2002: 100.7k2003: 75.8k2004: 126.6k2015: 176.5k2016: 151.7k2018: 158.7k2019: 195.7k2020: 184.6k2021: 121.7k2022: 159.8k2023: 163.2k

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 163,232 for repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male in 2023.

That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male in South Africa peaked at 195,698 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 75,846, in 2003.

South Africa ranks 8th of 191 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.

Repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male (number) in South Africa, 2000 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2000 163,103
2002 100,711 -38.3%
2003 75,846 -24.7%
2004 126,608 +66.9%
2015 176,478 +39.4%
2016 151,742 -14.0%
2018 158,705 +4.6%
2019 195,698 +23.3%
2020 184,550 -5.7%
2021 121,689 -34.1%
2022 159,780 +31.3%
2023 163,232 +2.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 116,567 75,846 163,103 4
2010s 170,656 151,742 195,698 4
2020s 157,313 121,689 184,550 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 5 Iraq 221,734 compare
  2. 6 Cote d'Ivoire 199,222 compare
  3. 7 Bangladesh 171,055 compare
  4. 9 Egypt 157,294 compare
  5. 10 Democratic Republic of Congo 144,340 compare
  6. 11 Colombia 144,032 compare

See the full ranking of 407 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male in South Africa?
Repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male in South Africa was 163,232 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 195,698 in 2019.
What is the lowest repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 75,846 in 2003.
How does South Africa rank for repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male?
South Africa ranks 8th out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
Is repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. 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 Repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/repeaters-in-lower-secondary-general-education-all-grades-male-number-2/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Repeaters in lower secondary general education, all grades, male (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
407 places, 9,338 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release