Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa

South Africa: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 1.13 million number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
1.13 million number
Change on year
up 20.3%
World rank
12th
of 149 countries
All-time high
1.16 million number
in 1994
All-time low
372,683 number
in 2015
Years of data
11
1994–2018

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

400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M1.2M1994200620181994: 1.2M number1999: 913.4k number2000: 1.0M number2001: 997.6k number2002: 880.4k number2003: 738.0k number2004: 618.2k number2005: 563.4k number2015: 372.7k number2017: 937.0k number2018: 1.1M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa is 1.13 million number, measured in 2018.

The figure is up 20.3% on the previous year and up 100.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa peaked at 1.16 million number in 1994 and was at its lowest, 372,683 number, in 2015.

South Africa ranks 12th of 149 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

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

Annual values for Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (number) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year number Change
1994 1.16 million number
1999 913,367 number -21.2%
2000 1.03 million number +12.5%
2001 997,595 number -2.9%
2002 880,444 number -11.7%
2003 738,018 number -16.2%
2004 618,151 number -16.2%
2005 563,410 number -8.9%
2015 372,683 number -33.9%
2017 936,990 number +151.4%
2018 1.13 million number +20.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.04 million number 913,367 number 1.16 million number 2
2000s 804,136 number 563,410 number 1.03 million number 6
2010s 812,254 number 372,683 number 1.13 million number 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 9 Mozambique 1.32 million number compare
  2. 10 Côte d'Ivoire 1.27 million number compare
  3. 11 Yemen 1.19 million number compare
  4. 13 Cameroon 1.00 million number compare
  5. 14 Guinea 941,384 number compare
  6. 15 Myanmar 939,977 number compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa?
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa was 1.13 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.16 million number in 1994.
What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 372,683 number in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
South Africa ranks 12th out of 149 countries with data for 2018.
Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 100.0%. 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 children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-both/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
194 places, 4,726 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of children and adolescents of primary and lower 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/