School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes was 9.22 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in South Africa, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in South Africa is 9.22 years, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 9.48 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 8.2 years, in 2000.
South Africa ranks 81st of 200 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 8.75 years | — |
| 1999 | 8.66 years | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 8.2 years | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 8.22 years | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 8.42 years | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 8.38 years | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 8.52 years | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 8.61 years | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 8.69 years | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 8.79 years | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 8.84 years | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 8.98 years | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 9.14 years | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 9.22 years | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 9.35 years | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 9.48 years | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 9.34 years | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 9.24 years | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 9.14 years | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 9.22 years | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 9.26 years | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 9.26 years | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 9.25 years | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 9.22 years | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.71 years | 8.66 years | 8.75 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.56 years | 8.2 years | 8.98 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.27 years | 9.14 years | 9.48 years | 8 |
| 2020s | 9.25 years | 9.22 years | 9.26 years | 4 |
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 life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in South Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in South Africa was 9.22 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9.48 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.2 years in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 81st out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. 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 life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, 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