School enrolment in South Africa
South Africa: School enrolment was 18.42 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
18.42
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
162nd
of 178 countries
All-time high
18.6
in 2019
All-time low
4.65
in 1999
Years of data
10
1998–2023
School enrolment in South Africa, 1998–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 18.42 for school enrolment in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 46.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school enrolment in South Africa peaked at 18.6 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 4.65, in 1999.
South Africa ranks 162nd of 178 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
School enrolment in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 5.06 | — |
| 1999 | 4.65 | -8.1% |
| 2000 | 7.2 | +55.0% |
| 2015 | 12.6 | +74.9% |
| 2018 | 18.1 | +43.7% |
| 2019 | 18.6 | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 18.6 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 12.9 | -30.6% |
| 2022 | 18.34 | +42.1% |
| 2023 | 18.42 | +0.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 18.42 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 67.31, 27% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 18.42 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.41, 73% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.85 | 4.65 | 5.06 | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 1 |
| 2010s | 16.43 | 12.6 | 18.6 | 3 |
| 2020s | 17.07 | 12.9 | 18.6 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 94.05 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 93.94 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school enrolment in South Africa?
- School enrolment in South Africa was 18.42 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest school enrolment recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 18.6 in 2019.
- What is the lowest school enrolment recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.65 in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for school enrolment?
- South Africa ranks 162nd out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school enrolment rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of School enrolment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).