Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa

South Africa: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 17.1% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
17.1%
Change on year
up 28.9%
World rank
48th
of 138 countries
All-time high
24.9%
in 2001
All-time low
11.3%
in 2015
Years of data
11
1994–2018

Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa, 1994–2018

05101520251994200620181994: 15.3 %1999: 22.3 %2000: 24 %2001: 24.9 %2002: 22 %2003: 20.5 %2004: 19.7 %2005: 19 %2015: 11.3 %2017: 13.2 %2018: 17.1 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2018, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa stood at 17.1%.

That represents a change of up 28.9% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa peaked at 24.9% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 2015.

That places South Africa 48th out of 138 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, female (%) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year % Change
1994 15.3%
1999 22.3% +45.5%
2000 24.0% +7.6%
2001 24.9% +3.9%
2002 22.0% -11.8%
2003 20.5% -6.4%
2004 19.7% -4.0%
2005 19.0% -3.6%
2015 11.3% -40.6%
2017 13.2% +17.0%
2018 17.1% +28.9%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 17.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.9%, 1.4× the median. (40 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 17.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 36.1%, 47% of the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 18.8% 15.3% 22.3% 2
2000s 21.7% 19.0% 24.9% 6
2010s 13.9% 11.3% 17.1% 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 45 Cape Verde 18.4% compare
  2. 46 Ghana 17.8% compare
  3. 47 Indonesia 17.8% compare
  4. 49 Namibia 17.0% compare
  5. 50 Iran, Islamic Republic of 16.9% compare
  6. 51 Mexico 15.6% compare

See the full ranking of 181 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa?
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa was 17.1% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 24.9% in 2001.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
South Africa ranks 48th out of 138 countries with data for 2018.
Is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. 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 rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-adolescents-and-youth-of-lower-and-upper-secondary-school-age/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
181 places, 4,097 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of adolescents and youth of 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/