School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index in South Africa

South Africa: School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index was 0.9596 GPI in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.9596 GPI
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
162nd
of 198 countries
All-time high
1 GPI
in 1989
All-time low
0.9334 GPI
in 2015
Years of data
33
1970–2020

School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index in South Africa, 1970–2020

00.250.50.7511970199520201970: 0.989 GPI1986: 0.992 GPI1987: 0.991 GPI1988: 0.991 GPI1989: 1 GPI1990: 1 GPI1991: 1 GPI1994: 0.978 GPI1995: 0.992 GPI1997: 0.982 GPI1998: 0.983 GPI1999: 0.979 GPI2000: 0.959 GPI2001: 0.971 GPI2002: 0.973 GPI2003: 0.97 GPI2004: 0.966 GPI2005: 0.966 GPI2006: 0.965 GPI2007: 0.97 GPI2008: 0.969 GPI2009: 0.966 GPI2010: 0.962 GPI2011: 0.96 GPI2012: 0.958 GPI2013: 0.958 GPI2014: 0.961 GPI2015: 0.933 GPI2016: 0.968 GPI2017: 0.967 GPI2018: 0.962 GPI2019: 0.965 GPI2020: 0.96 GPI

Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in GPI.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.9596 GPI for school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index in South Africa peaked at 1 GPI in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.9334 GPI, in 2015.

That places South Africa 162nd out of 198 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.

School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in South Africa, 1970 to 2020.
Year GPI Change
1970 0.989 GPI
1986 0.9922 GPI +0.3%
1987 0.9914 GPI -0.1%
1988 0.9913 GPI -0.0%
1989 1 GPI +1.2%
1990 1 GPI -0.1%
1991 1 GPI -0.2%
1994 0.9777 GPI -2.3%
1995 0.9915 GPI +1.4%
1997 0.9824 GPI -0.9%
1998 0.9826 GPI +0.0%
1999 0.9792 GPI -0.3%
2000 0.9589 GPI -2.1%
2001 0.9714 GPI +1.3%
2002 0.9735 GPI +0.2%
2003 0.9705 GPI -0.3%
2004 0.9662 GPI -0.4%
2005 0.9662 GPI +0.0%
2006 0.965 GPI -0.1%
2007 0.9696 GPI +0.5%
2008 0.9693 GPI -0.0%
2009 0.9657 GPI -0.4%
2010 0.9617 GPI -0.4%
2011 0.9596 GPI -0.2%
2012 0.9582 GPI -0.1%
2013 0.9578 GPI -0.0%
2014 0.9612 GPI +0.4%
2015 0.9334 GPI -2.9%
2016 0.968 GPI +3.7%
2017 0.9667 GPI -0.1%
2018 0.9616 GPI -0.5%
2019 0.9652 GPI +0.4%
2020 0.9596 GPI -0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.989 GPI 0.989 GPI 0.989 GPI 1
1980s 0.9945 GPI 0.9913 GPI 1 GPI 4
1990s 0.9881 GPI 0.9777 GPI 1 GPI 7
2000s 0.9676 GPI 0.9589 GPI 0.9735 GPI 10
2010s 0.9593 GPI 0.9334 GPI 0.968 GPI 10
2020s 0.9596 GPI 0.9596 GPI 0.9596 GPI 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 159 Guyana 0.9639 GPI compare
  2. 160 Poland 0.9637 GPI compare
  3. 161 Tuvalu 0.9615 GPI compare
  4. 163 El Salvador 0.9577 GPI compare
  5. 164 Libya 0.9577 GPI compare
  6. 165 Cote d'Ivoire 0.9564 GPI compare

See the full ranking of 243 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index in South Africa?
School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index in South Africa was 0.9596 GPI in 2020, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1 GPI in 1989.
What is the lowest school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.9334 GPI in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index?
South Africa ranks 162nd out of 198 countries with data for 2020.
Is school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-enrollment-primary-gross-gender-parity-index-gpi/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)
Unit
GPI
Source
Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
243 places, 9,722 data points, 1970–2022
Last refreshed

Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in primary education is the ratio of girls to boys enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.