School age population, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa
South Africa: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 559,892 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
559,892
Change on year
up 4.4%
World rank
26th
of 222 countries
All-time high
596,350
in 1991
All-time low
324,376
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa is 559,892, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 4.4% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa peaked at 596,350 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 324,376, in 1970.
That places South Africa 26th 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, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 324,376 | — |
| 1971 | 334,151 | +3.0% |
| 1972 | 348,701 | +4.4% |
| 1973 | 359,555 | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 369,963 | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 380,805 | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 389,686 | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 400,640 | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 409,389 | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 417,774 | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 423,092 | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 427,201 | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 436,732 | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 449,127 | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 465,335 | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 485,217 | +4.3% |
| 1986 | 495,526 | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 511,235 | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 534,116 | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 558,433 | +4.6% |
| 1990 | 578,520 | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 596,350 | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 595,548 | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 592,697 | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 577,012 | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 575,716 | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 562,645 | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 568,815 | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 571,084 | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 559,603 | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 558,949 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 531,729 | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 549,197 | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 535,413 | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 512,542 | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 500,022 | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 495,194 | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 476,792 | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 473,684 | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 469,804 | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 486,084 | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 510,061 | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 530,317 | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 546,604 | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 552,352 | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 585,452 | +6.0% |
| 2016 | 565,065 | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 559,317 | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 555,533 | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 555,148 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 545,440 | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 531,489 | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 513,371 | -3.4% |
| 2023 | 520,411 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 536,239 | +3.0% |
| 2025 | 559,892 | +4.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 373,504 | 324,376 | 417,774 | 10 |
| 1980s | 478,601 | 423,092 | 558,433 | 10 |
| 1990s | 577,799 | 559,603 | 596,350 | 10 |
| 2000s | 510,333 | 469,804 | 558,949 | 10 |
| 2010s | 544,593 | 486,084 | 585,452 | 10 |
| 2020s | 534,474 | 513,371 | 559,892 | 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, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in South Africa was 559,892 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 596,350 in 1991.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 324,376 in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. 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, one year before the official primary entry age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release