Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa
South Africa: Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) was 10.6% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa, 1998–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 10.6% for repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in 2022.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa peaked at 16.7% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6.9%, in 2002.
South Africa ranks 30th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 16.7% | — |
| 1999 | 16.2% | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 9.8% | -39.9% |
| 2002 | 6.9% | -29.6% |
| 2003 | 13.0% | +89.4% |
| 2015 | 12.3% | -5.5% |
| 2017 | 13.3% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | 15.3% | +14.4% |
| 2019 | 13.6% | -11.1% |
| 2020 | 8.8% | -35.2% |
| 2021 | 10.7% | +21.8% |
| 2022 | 10.6% | -1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.5% | 16.2% | 16.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 9.9% | 6.9% | 13.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 13.6% | 12.3% | 15.3% | 4 |
| 2020s | 10.0% | 8.8% | 10.7% | 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 lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa?
- Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa was 10.6% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 16.7% in 1998.
- What is the lowest repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.9% in 2002.
- How does South Africa rank for repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades)?
- South Africa ranks 30th out of 174 countries with data for 2022.
- Is repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. 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 lower secondary general education (all grades), both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release