School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes was 0.7786 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes in South Africa, 1994–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes in South Africa stood at 0.7786 years. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 0.7786 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.1889 years, in 1999.
That places South Africa 179th out of 213 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 0.2518 years | — |
| 1996 | 0.2965 years | +17.8% |
| 1998 | 0.2241 years | -24.4% |
| 1999 | 0.1889 years | -15.7% |
| 2000 | 0.2959 years | +56.6% |
| 2001 | 0.3383 years | +14.3% |
| 2002 | 0.2977 years | -12.0% |
| 2003 | 0.334 years | +12.2% |
| 2004 | 0.3886 years | +16.4% |
| 2005 | 0.4488 years | +15.5% |
| 2010 | 0.7402 years | +64.9% |
| 2011 | 0.7134 years | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 0.7434 years | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 0.7396 years | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 0.7684 years | +3.9% |
| 2015 | 0.7763 years | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 0.7619 years | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 0.7718 years | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 0.7471 years | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 0.7607 years | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 0.7594 years | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 0.7556 years | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 0.7698 years | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 0.7786 years | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.2403 years | 0.1889 years | 0.2965 years | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.3506 years | 0.2959 years | 0.4488 years | 6 |
| 2010s | 0.7523 years | 0.7134 years | 0.7763 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7658 years | 0.7556 years | 0.7786 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 176 Saudi Arabia 0.7931 years compare
- 177 Sierra Leone 0.7906 years compare
- 178 Botswana 0.783 years compare
- 180 Cameroon 0.7569 years compare
- 181 Angola 0.7345 years compare
- 182 Micronesia (country) 0.7289 years compare
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.65 million (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes in South Africa?
- School life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes in South Africa was 0.7786 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7786 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1889 years in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 179th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. 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 life expectancy, pre-primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release