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

South Africa: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 0.8763 GPIA in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
0.8763 GPIA
Change on year
up 51.6%
World rank
78th
of 136 countries
All-time high
0.9236 GPIA
in 2000
All-time low
0.578 GPIA
in 2017
Years of data
11
1994–2018

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

00.20.40.60.811994200620181994: 0.831 GPIA1999: 0.838 GPIA2000: 0.924 GPIA2001: 0.882 GPIA2002: 0.867 GPIA2003: 0.862 GPIA2004: 0.863 GPIA2005: 0.864 GPIA2015: 0.593 GPIA2017: 0.578 GPIA2018: 0.876 GPIA

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.8763 GPIA for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in 2018.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 51.6% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa peaked at 0.9236 GPIA in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.578 GPIA, in 2017.

South Africa ranks 78th of 136 countries on this measure, 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year GPIA Change
1994 0.8312 GPIA
1999 0.8385 GPIA +0.9%
2000 0.9236 GPIA +10.2%
2001 0.8822 GPIA -4.5%
2002 0.867 GPIA -1.7%
2003 0.8616 GPIA -0.6%
2004 0.8626 GPIA +0.1%
2005 0.8635 GPIA +0.1%
2015 0.5927 GPIA -31.4%
2017 0.578 GPIA -2.5%
2018 0.8763 GPIA +51.6%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.8763 GPIA is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.8627 GPIA, 1.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 0.8763 GPIA is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.9869 GPIA, 89% of the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.8348 GPIA 0.8312 GPIA 0.8385 GPIA 2
2000s 0.8768 GPIA 0.8616 GPIA 0.9236 GPIA 6
2010s 0.6823 GPIA 0.578 GPIA 0.8763 GPIA 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 75 Czechia 0.8936 GPIA compare
  2. 76 Egypt 0.8793 GPIA compare
  3. 77 United States of America 0.8775 GPIA compare
  4. 79 Austria 0.8755 GPIA compare
  5. 80 Mauritania 0.8748 GPIA compare
  6. 81 Serbia 0.8627 GPIA compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa?
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa was 0.8763 GPIA in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.9236 GPIA in 2000.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.578 GPIA in 2017.
How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
South Africa ranks 78th out of 136 countries with data for 2018.
Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and-3/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA)
Unit
GPIA
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
179 places, 4,061 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

The Adjusted Gender Parity Index (GPIA) is calculated by dividing the female value for the indicator by the male value for the indicator. If the resulting value exceeds 1, the ratio is inverted and subtracted from 2. The adjusted gender parity index is symmetrical around 1 and lies in the range 0-2. An adjusted GPI equal to 1 indicates parity between females and males. In general, a value less than 1 indicates disparity in favor of males and a value greater than 1 indicates disparity in favor of females. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute for Statistics: http://uis.unesco.org/