Repetition rate in Grade 2 of lower secondary general education in South Africa
South Africa: Repetition rate in Grade 2 of lower secondary general education was 5.3% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Repetition rate in Grade 2 of lower secondary general education in South Africa, 1990–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 5.3% for repetition rate in grade 2 of lower secondary general education in 2022.
That represents a change of down 9.4% on the previous year and down 46.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, repetition rate in grade 2 of lower secondary general education in South Africa peaked at 20.0% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 2020.
South Africa ranks 48th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Repetition rate in Grade 2 of lower secondary general education in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 20.0% | — |
| 2001 | 13.8% | -31.0% |
| 2002 | 6.3% | -54.4% |
| 2003 | 12.6% | +100.3% |
| 2017 | 9.9% | -21.8% |
| 2018 | 11.6% | +17.2% |
| 2019 | 9.6% | -17.2% |
| 2020 | 4.9% | -48.9% |
| 2021 | 5.8% | +19.3% |
| 2022 | 5.3% | -9.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.0% | 20.0% | 20.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 10.9% | 6.3% | 13.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 10.3% | 9.6% | 11.6% | 3 |
| 2020s | 5.3% | 4.9% | 5.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 45 Madagascar 5.8% compare
- 46 Costa Rica 5.7% compare
- 47 Spain 5.4% compare
- 49 Togo 4.9% compare
- 50 Macau, China 4.8% compare
- 51 British Virgin Islands 4.8% 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 2 of lower secondary general education in South Africa?
- Repetition rate in grade 2 of lower secondary general education in South Africa was 5.3% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest repetition rate in grade 2 of lower secondary general education recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 20.0% in 1990.
- What is the lowest repetition rate in grade 2 of lower secondary general education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for repetition rate in grade 2 of lower secondary general education?
- South Africa ranks 48th out of 178 countries with data for 2022.
- Is repetition rate in grade 2 of lower secondary general education rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.4%. 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 2 of lower secondary general education, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release