North America vs South Africa: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary

North America
1.5%
in 2019
South Africa
12.8%
in 2018
North America rank
43rd
South Africa rank
41st

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary over time

  • North America
  • South Africa
051015197019942019

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 12.8% against 1.5% in North America, a difference of 11.3%.

That makes South Africa's figure about 8.5 times North America's.

Across all 11 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

North America ranks 43rd and South Africa ranks 41st of 43 groups.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade North America South Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 5.0% 12.5% 7.6% South Africa
2000s 4.3% 12.8% 8.5% South Africa
2010s 1.7% 8.6% 6.9% South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, North America or South Africa?
South Africa, at 12.8% against 1.5% in North America as of 2018.
What is the difference in out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary between North America and South Africa?
11.3%, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for North America and South Africa?
11 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2018.
How do North America and South Africa rank globally for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
North America ranks 43rd and South Africa ranks 41st of 43 groups.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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North America vs South Africa: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and-2/north-america/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
180 places, 4,050 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Proportion of children, adolescents, and youth in the official age range for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education who are not enrolled in primary, lower secondary, or upper secondary education. To calculate the indicator, the number of students of the official age for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education enrolled in primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education is subtracted from the total population of primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education. The result is expressed as a percentage of the population of the official age for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/