Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, male in South Africa
South Africa: Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, male was 8.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, male in South Africa, 1990–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, male in South Africa stood at 8.1%.
The figure is up 72.5% on the previous year and down 53.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, male in South Africa peaked at 18.5% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 4.7%, in 2021.
That places South Africa 42nd out of 195 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17.3% | — |
| 1998 | 13.3% | -23.1% |
| 1999 | 9.5% | -28.5% |
| 2000 | 9.7% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 10.4% | +7.5% |
| 2002 | 6.8% | -34.9% |
| 2003 | 10.7% | +56.9% |
| 2004 | 6.5% | -39.1% |
| 2008 | 16.7% | +157.4% |
| 2009 | 15.9% | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 17.6% | +10.5% |
| 2013 | 18.5% | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 15.3% | -17.1% |
| 2015 | 16.0% | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 13.4% | -15.9% |
| 2018 | 14.2% | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 12.4% | -13.2% |
| 2020 | 8.7% | -29.5% |
| 2021 | 4.7% | -45.9% |
| 2022 | 8.1% | +72.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 8.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.9%, 9.3× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 8.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.1%, 1.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Repetition rate in Grade 1 of primary education, male 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 | +157.4% | 6.5% | 16.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.4% | 9.5% | 17.3% | 3 |
| 2000s | 11.0% | 6.5% | 16.7% | 7 |
| 2010s | 15.3% | 12.4% | 18.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 7.2% | 4.7% | 8.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 39 Marshall Islands 8.3%
- 40 Türkiye 8.3% compare
- 41 Sierra Leone 8.2% compare
- 43 Haiti 8.0%
- 44 Belize 7.9% compare
- 45 Austria 7.9% 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, male in South Africa?
- Repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, male in South Africa was 8.1% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 18.5% in 2013.
- What is the lowest repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.7% in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, male?
- South Africa ranks 42nd out of 195 countries with data for 2022.
- Is repetition rate in grade 1 of primary education, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 53.8%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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