Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in South Africa

South Africa: Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and was 1.72 million number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
1.72 million number
Change on year
up 21.2%
World rank
15th
of 139 countries
All-time high
1.97 million number
in 2001
All-time low
735,203 number
in 2015
Years of data
11
1994–2018

Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in South Africa, 1994–2018

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1994200620181994: 1.5M number1999: 1.8M number2000: 2.0M number2001: 2.0M number2002: 1.7M number2003: 1.6M number2004: 1.5M number2005: 1.4M number2015: 735.2k number2017: 1.4M number2018: 1.7M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 1.72 million number for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in 2018.

That represents a change of up 21.2% on the previous year and up 20.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in South Africa peaked at 1.97 million number in 2001 and was at its lowest, 735,203 number, in 2015.

That places South Africa 15th out of 139 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, both sexes (number) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year number Change
1994 1.53 million number
1999 1.80 million number +17.3%
2000 1.95 million number +8.4%
2001 1.97 million number +1.0%
2002 1.74 million number -11.9%
2003 1.58 million number -8.8%
2004 1.49 million number -5.9%
2005 1.43 million number -4.2%
2015 735,203 number -48.5%
2017 1.42 million number +93.6%
2018 1.72 million number +21.2%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 1.72 million number is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 70,875 number, 24.3× the median. (41 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 1.72 million number is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 837,733 number, 2.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.67 million number 1.53 million number 1.80 million number 2
2000s 1.69 million number 1.43 million number 1.97 million number 6
2010s 1.29 million number 735,203 number 1.72 million number 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 12 Kenya 1.92 million number compare
  2. 13 Myanmar 1.82 million number compare
  3. 14 Iraq 1.77 million number compare
  4. 16 Cameroon 1.70 million number compare
  5. 17 Türkiye 1.52 million number compare
  6. 18 Guinea 1.43 million number compare

See the full ranking of 184 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in South Africa?
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in South Africa was 1.72 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.97 million number in 2001.
What is the lowest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 735,203 number in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and?
South Africa ranks 15th out of 139 countries with data for 2018.
Is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.8%. 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
184 places, 4,255 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of children, adolescents, and youth of primary, lower secondary, and upper 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/