School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in South Africa
South Africa: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female was 12.36 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in South Africa, 1989–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 12.36 years for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in South Africa peaked at 12.57 years in 2016 and was at its lowest, 10.43 years, in 2000.
That places South Africa 67th out of 208 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 10.92 years | — |
| 1990 | 11.13 years | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 11.67 years | +4.8% |
| 1994 | 12.46 years | +6.8% |
| 1998 | 11.3 years | -9.3% |
| 1999 | 11.15 years | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 10.43 years | -6.4% |
| 2001 | 10.52 years | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 10.62 years | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 10.71 years | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 10.92 years | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 10.99 years | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 11.17 years | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 11.44 years | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 11.43 years | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 11.55 years | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 11.64 years | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 11.78 years | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 12 years | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 12.5 years | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 12.42 years | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 12.57 years | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 12.43 years | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 12.08 years | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 12.23 years | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 12.27 years | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 12.47 years | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 12.38 years | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 12.36 years | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.92 years | 10.92 years | 10.92 years | 1 |
| 1990s | 11.54 years | 11.13 years | 12.46 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 10.98 years | 10.43 years | 11.55 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.18 years | 11.64 years | 12.57 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 12.37 years | 12.27 years | 12.47 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.65 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate -1.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.0578 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 3.87 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -1.55 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.0612 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.22 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 287,310 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 13.45 % change on previous year (2015)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in South Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in South Africa was 12.36 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 12.57 years in 2016.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.43 years in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female?
- South Africa ranks 67th out of 208 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. 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, female (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