Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in South Africa

South Africa: Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both was 879,089 number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
879,089 number
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
23rd
of 142 countries
All-time high
1.32 million number
in 2001
All-time low
423,545 number
in 2015
Years of data
11
1994–2018

Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in South Africa, 1994–2018

400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M1.2M1.4M1994200620181994: 740.5k number1999: 1.2M number2000: 1.2M number2001: 1.3M number2002: 1.2M number2003: 1.1M number2004: 1.1M number2005: 1.0M number2015: 423.5k number2017: 855.6k number2018: 879.1k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in South Africa is 879,089 number, measured in 2018.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and down 16.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in South Africa peaked at 1.32 million number in 2001 and was at its lowest, 423,545 number, in 2015.

South Africa ranks 23rd of 142 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.

Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both sexes (number) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year number Change
1994 740,544 number
1999 1.16 million number +56.4%
2000 1.23 million number +5.9%
2001 1.32 million number +7.3%
2002 1.17 million number -11.0%
2003 1.12 million number -4.1%
2004 1.09 million number -2.7%
2005 1.05 million number -4.2%
2015 423,545 number -59.6%
2017 855,596 number +102.0%
2018 879,089 number +2.7%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 879,089 number is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 48,069 number, 18.3× the median. (43 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 879,089 number is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 724,820 number, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 949,347 number 740,544 number 1.16 million number 2
2000s 1.16 million number 1.05 million number 1.32 million number 6
2010s 719,410 number 423,545 number 879,089 number 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 20 Guinea 1.05 million number compare
  2. 21 Iran, Islamic Republic of 1.01 million number compare
  3. 22 Malawi 913,029 number compare
  4. 24 Philippines 842,615 number compare
  5. 25 Malaysia 811,299 number compare
  6. 26 Cambodia 787,884 number compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in South Africa?
Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in South Africa was 879,089 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.32 million number in 2001.
What is the lowest out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 423,545 number in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both?
South Africa ranks 23rd out of 142 countries with data for 2018.
Is out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-adolescents-and-youth-of-secondary-school-age-both-sexes-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
187 places, 4,335 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of adolescents and youth of secondary school age who are not enrolled or attending school during in a given academic year. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/