Enrolment in primary education, male in South Africa

South Africa: Enrolment in primary education, male was 3.90 million number in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
3.90 million number
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
20th
of 202 countries
All-time high
4.13 million number
in 1995
All-time low
2.01 million number
in 1970
Years of data
31
1970–2018

Enrolment in primary education, male in South Africa, 1970–2018

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M1970199420181970: 2.0M number1986: 2.4M number1987: 2.5M number1988: 2.6M number1989: 3.4M number1990: 3.5M number1991: 3.6M number1994: 4.1M number1995: 4.1M number1997: 4.1M number1998: 4.1M number1999: 4.0M number2000: 3.8M number2001: 3.8M number2002: 3.8M number2003: 3.8M number2004: 3.8M number2005: 3.7M number2006: 3.7M number2007: 3.7M number2008: 3.7M number2009: 3.7M number2010: 3.6M number2011: 3.6M number2012: 3.6M number2013: 3.6M number2014: 3.7M number2015: 3.9M number2016: 3.9M number2017: 3.9M number2018: 3.9M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2018, enrolment in primary education, male in South Africa stood at 3.90 million number.

The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in primary education, male in South Africa peaked at 4.13 million number in 1995 and was at its lowest, 2.01 million number, in 1970.

South Africa ranks 20th of 202 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Enrolment in primary education, male in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in primary education, male (number) in South Africa, 1970 to 2018.
Year number Change
1970 2.01 million number
1986 2.40 million number +19.5%
1987 2.49 million number +4.0%
1988 2.56 million number +2.8%
1989 3.40 million number +32.9%
1990 3.50 million number +2.9%
1991 3.64 million number +3.8%
1994 4.07 million number +11.8%
1995 4.13 million number +1.7%
1997 4.11 million number -0.5%
1998 4.06 million number -1.2%
1999 4.04 million number -0.6%
2000 3.83 million number -5.2%
2001 3.79 million number -1.0%
2002 3.81 million number +0.6%
2003 3.82 million number +0.2%
2004 3.82 million number -0.1%
2005 3.75 million number -1.8%
2006 3.72 million number -0.8%
2007 3.74 million number +0.5%
2008 3.70 million number -1.1%
2009 3.65 million number -1.2%
2010 3.61 million number -1.3%
2011 3.58 million number -0.8%
2012 3.61 million number +0.8%
2013 3.64 million number +0.9%
2014 3.70 million number +1.7%
2015 3.94 million number +6.5%
2016 3.88 million number -1.5%
2017 3.89 million number +0.3%
2018 3.90 million number +0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.01 million number 2.01 million number 2.01 million number 1
1980s 2.71 million number 2.40 million number 3.40 million number 4
1990s 3.94 million number 3.50 million number 4.13 million number 7
2000s 3.76 million number 3.65 million number 3.83 million number 10
2010s 3.75 million number 3.58 million number 3.94 million number 9

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 17 Kenya 4.17 million number compare
  2. 18 Iran, Islamic Republic of 4.07 million number compare
  3. 19 Afghanistan 4.00 million number compare
  4. 21 Mozambique 3.59 million number compare
  5. 22 Russian Federation 3.57 million number compare
  6. 23 Japan 3.34 million number compare

See the full ranking of 247 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in primary education, male in South Africa?
Enrolment in primary education, male in South Africa was 3.90 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in primary education, male recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 4.13 million number in 1995.
What is the lowest enrolment in primary education, male recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2.01 million number in 1970.
How does South Africa rank for enrolment in primary education, male?
South Africa ranks 20th out of 202 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in primary education, male rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. 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 Enrolment in primary education, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in primary education, male in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-primary-education-male-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in primary education, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
247 places, 9,575 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of male students enrolled in public and private primary education institutions regardless of age.