Repetition rate in Grade 1 of lower secondary general education in South Africa
South Africa: Repetition rate in Grade 1 of lower secondary general education was 6.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Repetition rate in Grade 1 of lower secondary general education in South Africa, 1990–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, repetition rate in grade 1 of lower secondary general education in South Africa stood at 6.9%.
That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and down 30.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, repetition rate in grade 1 of lower secondary general education in South Africa peaked at 17.8% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 5.0%, in 2001.
That places South Africa 40th out of 184 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Repetition rate in Grade 1 of lower secondary general education in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17.8% | — |
| 2001 | 5.0% | -72.0% |
| 2002 | 5.9% | +19.0% |
| 2003 | 11.9% | +101.4% |
| 2015 | 9.8% | -17.8% |
| 2017 | 9.8% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 11.6% | +18.0% |
| 2019 | 10.0% | -13.7% |
| 2020 | 6.6% | -33.5% |
| 2021 | 7.1% | +6.2% |
| 2022 | 6.9% | -2.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 6.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.8%, 8.9× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 6.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.2%, 75% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.8% | 17.8% | 17.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 7.6% | 5.0% | 11.9% | 3 |
| 2010s | 10.3% | 9.8% | 11.6% | 4 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 6.6% | 7.1% | 3 |
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 repetition rate in grade 1 of lower secondary general education in South Africa?
- Repetition rate in grade 1 of lower secondary general education in South Africa was 6.9% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest repetition rate in grade 1 of lower secondary general education recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 17.8% in 1990.
- What is the lowest repetition rate in grade 1 of lower secondary general education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.0% in 2001.
- How does South Africa rank for repetition rate in grade 1 of lower secondary general education?
- South Africa ranks 40th out of 184 countries with data for 2022.
- Is repetition rate in grade 1 of lower secondary general education rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.1%. 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 Repetition rate in Grade 1 of lower secondary general education, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release