School life expectancy, primary, female (years) (life female years) in South Africa
South Africa: School life expectancy, primary, female (years) (life female years) was 6.95 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, female in South Africa, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 6.95 years for school life expectancy, primary, female in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, female in South Africa peaked at 7.62 years in 1991 and was at its lowest, 5.56 years, in 1986.
That places South Africa 27th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, female (years) (life female years) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7.52 years | — |
| 1986 | 5.56 years | -26.1% |
| 1987 | 5.65 years | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 5.68 years | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 7.44 years | +31.0% |
| 1990 | 7.4 years | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 7.62 years | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 7.5 years | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 7.39 years | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 6.85 years | -7.3% |
| 1998 | 6.89 years | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 6.85 years | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 6.4 years | -6.6% |
| 2001 | 6.49 years | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 6.64 years | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 6.71 years | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 6.78 years | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 6.78 years | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 6.82 years | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 7.02 years | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 7.1 years | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 7.11 years | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 7.15 years | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 7.18 years | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 7.23 years | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 7.18 years | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 7.19 years | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 7.16 years | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 7.22 years | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 7.05 years | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 6.93 years | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 6.97 years | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 6.94 years | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 6.97 years | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 6.99 years | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 6.95 years | -0.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 6.95 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.8 years, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 6.95 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.17 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, female (years) (life female years) in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | +31.0% | 5.68 years | 7.44 years |
| 1986 | -26.1% | 7.52 years | 5.56 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.52 years | 7.52 years | 7.52 years | 1 |
| 1980s | 6.08 years | 5.56 years | 7.44 years | 4 |
| 1990s | 7.21 years | 6.85 years | 7.62 years | 7 |
| 2000s | 6.78 years | 6.4 years | 7.11 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.13 years | 6.93 years | 7.23 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.96 years | 6.94 years | 6.99 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, female in South Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary, female in South Africa was 6.95 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 7.62 years in 1991.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.56 years in 1986.
- How does South Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary, female?
- South Africa ranks 27th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. 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, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release