School life expectancy, secondary, male (years) (life male years) in South Africa
South Africa: School life expectancy, secondary, male (years) (life male years) was 5.1 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
5.1 years
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
126th
of 213 countries
All-time high
5.26 years
in 2015
All-time low
2.92 years
in 1989
Years of data
29
1989–2023
School life expectancy, secondary, male in South Africa, 1989–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 5.1 years for school life expectancy, secondary, male in 2023.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, male in South Africa peaked at 5.26 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.92 years, in 1989.
That places South Africa 126th out of 213 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, secondary, male (years) (life male years) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 2.92 years | — |
| 1990 | 3.06 years | +5.1% |
| 1991 | 3.27 years | +6.6% |
| 1994 | 4 years | +22.5% |
| 1998 | 3.87 years | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 3.88 years | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 3.68 years | -5.1% |
| 2001 | 3.68 years | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 3.68 years | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 3.71 years | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 3.8 years | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 3.88 years | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 4.03 years | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 4.14 years | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 4.08 years | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 4.15 years | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 4.18 years | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 4.3 years | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 4.45 years | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 4.81 years | +8.1% |
| 2015 | 5.26 years | +9.4% |
| 2016 | 4.76 years | -9.5% |
| 2017 | 4.9 years | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 4.75 years | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 4.91 years | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 4.87 years | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 5.07 years | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 5.01 years | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 5.1 years | +1.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 5.1 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.52 years, 92% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 5.1 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.29 years, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.92 years | 2.92 years | 2.92 years | 1 |
| 1990s | 3.62 years | 3.06 years | 4 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 3.88 years | 3.68 years | 4.15 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.7 years | 4.18 years | 5.26 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 5.01 years | 4.87 years | 5.1 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 123 Belize 5.13 years compare
- 124 Philippines 5.12 years compare
- 125 Cayman Islands 5.1 years compare
- 127 Sao Tome and Principe 5.09 years compare
- 128 Gabon 5.07 years compare
- 129 Cote d'Ivoire 5.07 years compare
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, male in South Africa?
- School life expectancy, secondary, male in South Africa was 5.1 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.26 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.92 years in 1989.
- How does South Africa rank for school life expectancy, secondary, male?
- South Africa ranks 126th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.7%. 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, 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