Theoretical duration of early childhood education in South Africa
South Africa: Theoretical duration of early childhood education was 7 years in 2019. ▲ Rising
Theoretical duration of early childhood education in South Africa, 1999–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2019, theoretical duration of early childhood education in South Africa stood at 7 years. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 133.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, theoretical duration of early childhood education in South Africa peaked at 7 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 3 years, in 1999.
South Africa ranks 1st of 204 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Theoretical duration of early childhood education in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 3 years | — |
| 2000 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7 years | +133.3% |
| 2019 | 7 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.14 years | 3 years | 7 years | 7 |
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 theoretical duration of early childhood education in South Africa?
- Theoretical duration of early childhood education in South Africa was 7 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest theoretical duration of early childhood education recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 7 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest theoretical duration of early childhood education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 years in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for theoretical duration of early childhood education?
- South Africa ranks 1st out of 204 countries with data for 2019.
- Is theoretical duration of early childhood education rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 133.3%. 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 Theoretical duration of early childhood education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Number of grades (years) in early childhood education.