School life expectancy, primary and secondary, male in South Africa
South Africa: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, male was 12.4 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
12.4 years
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
60th
of 208 countries
All-time high
12.87 years
in 2015
All-time low
10.22 years
in 1989
Years of data
29
1989–2023
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, male in South Africa, 1989–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 12.4 years for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, male in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, male in South Africa peaked at 12.87 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 10.22 years, in 1989.
South Africa ranks 60th of 208 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, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 10.22 years | — |
| 1990 | 10.32 years | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 10.79 years | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 11.66 years | +8.1% |
| 1998 | 10.84 years | -7.0% |
| 1999 | 10.82 years | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 10.29 years | -4.9% |
| 2001 | 10.29 years | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 10.41 years | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 10.53 years | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 10.73 years | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 10.8 years | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 11.02 years | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 11.28 years | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 11.31 years | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 11.41 years | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 11.5 years | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 11.67 years | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 11.88 years | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 12.2 years | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 12.87 years | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 12.17 years | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 12.18 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 11.98 years | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 12.17 years | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 12.17 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 12.38 years | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 12.38 years | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 12.4 years | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.22 years | 10.22 years | 10.22 years | 1 |
| 1990s | 10.88 years | 10.32 years | 11.66 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 10.81 years | 10.29 years | 11.41 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.07 years | 11.5 years | 12.87 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 12.33 years | 12.17 years | 12.4 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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, primary and secondary, male in South Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, male in South Africa was 12.4 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 12.87 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.22 years in 1989.
- How does South Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, male?
- South Africa ranks 60th out of 208 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. 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 secondary, male (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