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 514,793 number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
514,793 number
Change on year
up 25.8%
World rank
15th
of 148 countries
All-time high
514,793 number
in 2018
All-time low
61,025 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

100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k1994200620181994: 514.4k number1999: 381.8k number2000: 462.6k number2001: 433.8k number2002: 374.6k number2003: 312.1k number2004: 259.6k number2005: 233.0k number2015: 61.0k number2017: 409.2k number2018: 514.8k 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 514,793 number, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.

The figure is up 25.8% on the previous year and up 120.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa peaked at 514,793 number in 2018 and was at its lowest, 61,025 number, in 2015.

That places South Africa 15th out of 148 countries with data for 2018, putting it 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, female (number) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year number Change
1994 514,354 number
1999 381,835 number -25.8%
2000 462,563 number +21.1%
2001 433,753 number -6.2%
2002 374,632 number -13.6%
2003 312,106 number -16.7%
2004 259,610 number -16.8%
2005 233,029 number -10.2%
2015 61,025 number -73.8%
2017 409,180 number +570.5%
2018 514,793 number +25.8%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 514,793 number is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15,685 number, 32.8× the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 514,793 number is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 173,812 number, 3.0× the median. (27 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 448,094 number 381,835 number 514,354 number 2
2000s 345,949 number 233,029 number 462,563 number 6
2010s 328,333 number 61,025 number 514,793 number 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 12 Cameroon 618,568 number compare
  2. 13 Philippines 572,187 number compare
  3. 14 Guinea 569,032 number compare
  4. 16 Myanmar 490,976 number compare
  5. 17 Kenya 434,950 number compare
  6. 18 Guatemala 320,936 number compare

See the full ranking of 193 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 514,793 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 514,793 number in 2018.
What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 61,025 number in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
South Africa ranks 15th out of 148 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 120.9%. 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, female (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 15 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-female/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
193 places, 4,451 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/