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 612,293 number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
612,293 number
Change on year
up 16.0%
World rank
9th
of 148 countries
All-time high
645,344 number
in 1994
All-time low
311,658 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

0200.0k400.0k600.0k1994200620181994: 645.3k number1999: 531.5k number2000: 564.6k number2001: 563.8k number2002: 505.8k number2003: 425.9k number2004: 358.5k number2005: 330.4k number2015: 311.7k number2017: 527.8k number2018: 612.3k 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 612,293 number, measured in 2018.

That represents a change of up 16.0% on the previous year and up 85.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in South Africa peaked at 645,344 number in 1994 and was at its lowest, 311,658 number, in 2015.

That places South Africa 9th 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, male (number) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year number Change
1994 645,344 number
1999 531,532 number -17.6%
2000 564,637 number +6.2%
2001 563,842 number -0.1%
2002 505,812 number -10.3%
2003 425,912 number -15.8%
2004 358,541 number -15.8%
2005 330,381 number -7.9%
2015 311,658 number -5.7%
2017 527,810 number +69.4%
2018 612,293 number +16.0%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 612,293 number is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21,588 number, 28.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 612,293 number is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 197,852 number, 3.1× the median. (27 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 588,438 number 531,532 number 645,344 number 2
2000s 458,188 number 330,381 number 564,637 number 6
2010s 483,920 number 311,658 number 612,293 number 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 6 Philippines 825,925 number compare
  2. 7 Syrian Arab Republic 687,651 number compare
  3. 8 Chad 672,766 number compare
  4. 10 Mozambique 542,721 number compare
  5. 11 Côte d'Ivoire 522,576 number compare
  6. 12 Myanmar 449,001 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 612,293 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 645,344 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 311,658 number in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
South Africa ranks 9th 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 85.3%. 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, male (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-male/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
193 places, 4,440 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/