Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, female in South Africa
South Africa: Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, female was 4.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, female in South Africa, 1990–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, female in South Africa stood at 4.4%. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.
That represents a change of down 11.8% on the previous year and down 67.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, female in South Africa peaked at 15.4% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 2022.
South Africa ranks 54th of 195 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 14.2% | — |
| 1998 | 12.8% | -10.1% |
| 1999 | 7.1% | -44.2% |
| 2000 | 10.8% | +52.0% |
| 2001 | 10.1% | -6.9% |
| 2002 | 7.1% | -29.1% |
| 2003 | 9.6% | +34.7% |
| 2004 | 6.3% | -34.5% |
| 2008 | 15.4% | +145.4% |
| 2009 | 13.3% | -13.7% |
| 2012 | 13.3% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 14.3% | +6.9% |
| 2014 | 11.0% | -22.9% |
| 2015 | 11.4% | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 9.5% | -16.4% |
| 2018 | 8.5% | -10.6% |
| 2019 | 7.0% | -17.6% |
| 2020 | 5.3% | -24.4% |
| 2021 | 5.0% | -5.5% |
| 2022 | 4.4% | -11.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 4.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.4%, 11.2× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 4.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.1%, 72% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, female 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +145.4% | 6.3% | 15.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.4% | 7.1% | 14.2% | 3 |
| 2000s | 10.4% | 6.3% | 15.4% | 7 |
| 2010s | 10.7% | 7.0% | 14.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 4.9% | 4.4% | 5.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 51 Mozambique 4.8% compare
- 52 Marshall Islands 4.7%
- 53 Slovakia 4.6% compare
- 55 Vanuatu 4.3% compare
- 56 Liechtenstein 4.2% compare
- 57 Lao People's Democratic Republic 4.2% compare
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 primary education, female in South Africa?
- Repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, female in South Africa was 4.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 15.4% in 2008.
- What is the lowest repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, female?
- South Africa ranks 54th out of 195 countries with data for 2022.
- Is repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 67.0%. 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 primary education, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release