School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes was 12.38 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
12.38 years
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
65th
of 213 countries
All-time high
12.65 years
in 2015
All-time low
10.36 years
in 2000
Years of data
29
1989–2023
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in South Africa, 1989–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 12.38 years for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in 2023.
The figure is up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 12.65 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 10.36 years, in 2000.
South Africa ranks 65th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 10.56 years | — |
| 1990 | 10.72 years | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 11.21 years | +4.6% |
| 1994 | 12.05 years | +7.4% |
| 1998 | 11.07 years | -8.1% |
| 1999 | 10.98 years | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 10.36 years | -5.7% |
| 2001 | 10.4 years | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 10.51 years | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 10.62 years | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 10.82 years | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 10.89 years | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 11.09 years | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 11.36 years | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 11.37 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 11.48 years | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 11.57 years | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 11.72 years | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 11.94 years | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 12.35 years | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 12.65 years | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 12.37 years | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 12.3 years | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 12.03 years | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 12.2 years | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 12.22 years | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 12.43 years | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 12.38 years | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 12.38 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.56 years | 10.56 years | 10.56 years | 1 |
| 1990s | 11.21 years | 10.72 years | 12.05 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 10.89 years | 10.36 years | 11.48 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.12 years | 11.57 years | 12.65 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 12.35 years | 12.22 years | 12.43 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 secondary, both sexes in South Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in South Africa was 12.38 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 12.65 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.36 years in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 65th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. 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 secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release