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

South Africa: Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female was 411,263 number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
411,263 number
Change on year
up 29.7%
World rank
23rd
of 138 countries
All-time high
643,855 number
in 2001
All-time low
270,650 number
in 2015
Years of data
11
1994–2018

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

0200.0k400.0k600.0k1994200620181994: 335.9k number1999: 554.4k number2000: 608.5k number2001: 643.9k number2002: 575.5k number2003: 543.0k number2004: 523.1k number2005: 502.9k number2015: 270.6k number2017: 317.0k number2018: 411.3k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2018, out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female in South Africa stood at 411,263 number.

That represents a change of up 29.7% on the previous year and down 18.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female in South Africa peaked at 643,855 number in 2001 and was at its lowest, 270,650 number, in 2015.

South Africa ranks 23rd of 138 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, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female (number) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year number Change
1994 335,875 number
1999 554,394 number +65.1%
2000 608,523 number +9.8%
2001 643,855 number +5.8%
2002 575,479 number -10.6%
2003 543,025 number -5.6%
2004 523,059 number -3.7%
2005 502,896 number -3.9%
2015 270,650 number -46.2%
2017 316,972 number +17.1%
2018 411,263 number +29.7%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 411,263 number is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 24,746 number, 16.6× the median. (40 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 411,263 number is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 333,248 number, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 445,134 number 335,875 number 554,394 number 2
2000s 566,140 number 502,896 number 643,855 number 6
2010s 332,962 number 270,650 number 411,263 number 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 20 Iran, Islamic Republic of 544,043 number compare
  2. 21 Malawi 480,930 number compare
  3. 22 Cambodia 415,356 number compare
  4. 24 Morocco 362,544 number compare
  5. 25 Malaysia 344,140 number compare
  6. 26 Ghana 333,248 number compare

See the full ranking of 183 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, female in South Africa?
Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female in South Africa was 411,263 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 643,855 number in 2001.
What is the lowest out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 270,650 number in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female?
South Africa ranks 23rd out of 138 countries with data for 2018.
Is out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. 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, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-adolescents-and-youth-of-secondary-school-age-female-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
183 places, 4,214 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/