School life expectancy, secondary, female (years) (expectancy female) in South Africa
South Africa: School life expectancy, secondary, female (years) (expectancy female) was 5.41 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
5.41 years
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
128th
of 213 countries
All-time high
5.5 years
in 2021
All-time low
3.48 years
in 1989
Years of data
29
1989–2023
School life expectancy, secondary, female in South Africa, 1989–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, secondary, female in South Africa stood at 5.41 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, female in South Africa peaked at 5.5 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.48 years, in 1989.
South Africa ranks 128th 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, secondary, female (years) (expectancy female) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 3.48 years | — |
| 1990 | 3.73 years | +7.2% |
| 1991 | 4.05 years | +8.4% |
| 1994 | 4.96 years | +22.6% |
| 1998 | 4.41 years | -11.1% |
| 1999 | 4.3 years | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 4.04 years | -6.2% |
| 2001 | 4.02 years | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 3.98 years | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 4 years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 4.14 years | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 4.21 years | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 4.35 years | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 4.42 years | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 4.33 years | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 4.45 years | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 4.49 years | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 4.6 years | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 4.77 years | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 5.31 years | +11.3% |
| 2015 | 5.26 years | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 5.34 years | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 5.38 years | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 5.15 years | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 5.25 years | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 5.33 years | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 5.5 years | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 5.38 years | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 5.41 years | +0.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 5.41 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6.06 years, 89% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 5.41 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3 years, 1.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.48 years | 3.48 years | 3.48 years | 1 |
| 1990s | 4.29 years | 3.73 years | 4.96 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 4.19 years | 3.98 years | 4.45 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.06 years | 4.49 years | 5.38 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 5.41 years | 5.33 years | 5.5 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, secondary, female in South Africa?
- School life expectancy, secondary, female in South Africa was 5.41 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.5 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.48 years in 1989.
- How does South Africa rank for school life expectancy, secondary, female?
- South Africa ranks 128th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. 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, 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