School age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both in South Africa

South Africa: School age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both was 1.94 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
1.94 million number
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
18th
of 164 countries
All-time high
2.16 million number
in 2008
All-time low
1.68 million number
in 1997
Years of data
23
1997–2019

School age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both in South Africa, 1997–2019

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1997200820191997: 1.7M number1998: 1.7M number1999: 1.8M number2000: 1.9M number2001: 1.9M number2002: 2.0M number2003: 2.0M number2004: 2.1M number2005: 2.1M number2006: 2.1M number2007: 2.2M number2008: 2.2M number2009: 2.1M number2010: 2.1M number2011: 2.1M number2012: 2.1M number2013: 2.0M number2014: 2.0M number2015: 2.0M number2016: 2.0M number2017: 2.0M number2018: 1.9M number2019: 1.9M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, school age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both in South Africa stood at 1.94 million number.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both in South Africa peaked at 2.16 million number in 2008 and was at its lowest, 1.68 million number, in 1997.

That places South Africa 18th out of 164 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

School age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for School age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both sexes (number) in South Africa, 1997 to 2019.
Year number Change
1997 1.68 million number
1998 1.74 million number +3.0%
1999 1.80 million number +3.7%
2000 1.87 million number +3.7%
2001 1.93 million number +3.4%
2002 1.99 million number +3.0%
2003 2.03 million number +2.4%
2004 2.07 million number +1.8%
2005 2.10 million number +1.6%
2006 2.14 million number +1.5%
2007 2.16 million number +1.0%
2008 2.16 million number +0.0%
2009 2.14 million number -0.9%
2010 2.11 million number -1.3%
2011 2.08 million number -1.5%
2012 2.05 million number -1.3%
2013 2.03 million number -1.1%
2014 2.01 million number -0.9%
2015 1.99 million number -1.0%
2016 1.98 million number -0.9%
2017 1.96 million number -0.8%
2018 1.95 million number -0.6%
2019 1.94 million number -0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.74 million number 1.68 million number 1.80 million number 3
2000s 2.06 million number 1.87 million number 2.16 million number 10
2010s 2.01 million number 1.94 million number 2.11 million number 10

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 15 Kenya 2.26 million number compare
  2. 16 Tanzania, United Republic of 2.14 million number compare
  3. 17 Myanmar 2.04 million number compare
  4. 19 Uganda 1.84 million number compare
  5. 20 Colombia 1.73 million number compare
  6. 21 France 1.69 million number compare

See the full ranking of 209 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both in South Africa?
School age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both in South Africa was 1.94 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2.16 million number in 2008.
What is the lowest school age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 1.68 million number in 1997.
How does South Africa rank for school age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both?
South Africa ranks 18th out of 164 countries with data for 2019.
Is school age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. 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, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-post-secondary-non-tertiary-education-both-sexes-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, post-secondary non-tertiary education, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
209 places, 4,244 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to post-secondary non-tertiary education as indicated by theoretical entrance age and duration.