School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes was 1.07 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.07 million
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
24th
of 222 countries
All-time high
1.20 million
in 1999
All-time low
523,016
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa is 1.07 million, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and up 13.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 1.20 million in 1999 and was at its lowest, 523,016, in 1970.
That places South Africa 24th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 523,016 | — |
| 1971 | 538,730 | +3.0% |
| 1972 | 550,101 | +2.1% |
| 1973 | 563,991 | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 580,308 | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 596,656 | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 614,759 | +3.0% |
| 1977 | 631,804 | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 649,393 | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 677,917 | +4.4% |
| 1980 | 699,410 | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 718,327 | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 736,668 | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 755,248 | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 765,582 | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 760,610 | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 776,732 | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 795,300 | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 816,009 | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 827,667 | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 826,447 | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 824,131 | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 859,340 | +4.3% |
| 1993 | 916,432 | +6.6% |
| 1994 | 983,265 | +7.3% |
| 1995 | 1.07 million | +8.9% |
| 1996 | 1.13 million | +5.7% |
| 1997 | 1.14 million | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 1.18 million | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 1.20 million | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 1.19 million | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 1.18 million | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 1.17 million | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.15 million | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 1.11 million | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 1.12 million | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 1.10 million | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 1.10 million | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 1.04 million | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 1.08 million | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 1.05 million | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 1.00 million | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 978,445 | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 979,525 | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 955,433 | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 944,596 | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 935,451 | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 953,534 | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 997,724 | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 1.04 million | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 1.07 million | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 1.08 million | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 1.09 million | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 1.09 million | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1.08 million | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 1.07 million | -0.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.07 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 115,478, 9.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.07 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 392,908, 2.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 592,668 | 523,016 | 677,917 | 10 |
| 1980s | 765,155 | 699,410 | 827,667 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.01 million | 824,131 | 1.20 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.12 million | 1.04 million | 1.19 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 983,422 | 935,451 | 1.05 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.08 million | 1.07 million | 1.09 million | 6 |
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 school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa?
- School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa was 1.07 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.20 million in 1999.
- What is the lowest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 523,016 in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 24th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release