School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes was 7.12 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
7.12 years
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
25th
of 218 countries
All-time high
7.58 years
in 1994
All-time low
5.54 years
in 1986
Years of data
42
1970–2023
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in South Africa, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in South Africa is 7.12 years, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 7.58 years in 1994 and was at its lowest, 5.54 years, in 1986.
South Africa ranks 25th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7.48 years | — |
| 1975 | 7.03 years | -6.0% |
| 1977 | 6.17 years | -12.2% |
| 1978 | 5.74 years | -7.1% |
| 1979 | 5.74 years | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 5.77 years | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 5.62 years | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 5.54 years | -1.5% |
| 1987 | 5.63 years | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 5.66 years | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 7.37 years | +30.2% |
| 1990 | 7.33 years | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 7.57 years | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 7.58 years | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 7.42 years | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 6.88 years | -7.3% |
| 1998 | 6.93 years | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 6.89 years | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 6.5 years | -5.7% |
| 2001 | 6.55 years | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 6.69 years | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 6.77 years | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 6.85 years | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 6.85 years | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 6.9 years | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 7.08 years | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 7.17 years | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 7.18 years | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 7.24 years | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 7.28 years | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 7.33 years | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 7.29 years | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 7.29 years | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 7.39 years | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 7.32 years | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 7.17 years | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 7.08 years | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 7.12 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 7.12 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 7.14 years | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 7.18 years | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 7.12 years | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.43 years | 5.74 years | 7.48 years | 5 |
| 1980s | 5.93 years | 5.54 years | 7.37 years | 6 |
| 1990s | 7.23 years | 6.88 years | 7.58 years | 7 |
| 2000s | 6.85 years | 6.5 years | 7.18 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.25 years | 7.08 years | 7.39 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.14 years | 7.12 years | 7.18 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 22 Timor-Leste 7.22 years compare
- 23 American Samoa 7.19 years compare
- 24 Guinea-Bissau 7.13 years compare
- 26 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 7.06 years compare
- 27 Denmark 6.98 years compare
- 28 Morocco 6.98 years compare
More education data for South Africa
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.82 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.68 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.97 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 818,404 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 3.28 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.19 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -2.55 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 225,583 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 61,727 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in South Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in South Africa was 7.12 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 7.58 years in 1994.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.54 years in 1986.
- How does South Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 25th out of 218 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. 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, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release