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

South Africa: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 10.8% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
10.8%
Change on year
up 23.3%
World rank
38th
of 148 countries
All-time high
10.8%
in 2018
All-time low
1.4%
in 2015
Years of data
11
1994–2018

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

2468101994200620181994: 10.3 %1999: 8.1 %2000: 9.9 %2001: 9.3 %2002: 8.1 %2003: 6.8 %2004: 5.7 %2005: 5.2 %2015: 1.4 %2017: 8.7 %2018: 10.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2018, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Africa stood at 10.8%. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.

The figure is up 23.3% on the previous year and up 106.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Africa peaked at 10.8% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2015.

South Africa ranks 38th of 148 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year % Change
1994 10.3%
1999 8.1% -21.6%
2000 9.9% +21.8%
2001 9.3% -5.8%
2002 8.1% -13.0%
2003 6.8% -15.8%
2004 5.7% -15.8%
2005 5.2% -9.1%
2015 1.4% -74.0%
2017 8.7% +544.5%
2018 10.8% +23.3%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 10.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.8%, 2.9× the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 10.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.3%, 81% of the median. (27 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 9.2% 8.1% 10.3% 2
2000s 7.5% 5.2% 9.9% 6
2010s 7.0% 1.4% 10.8% 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 35 Myanmar 11.3% compare
  2. 36 Romania 11.1% compare
  3. 37 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 10.8% compare
  4. 39 Sao Tome and Principe 10.5% compare
  5. 40 Indonesia 9.9% compare
  6. 41 Kenya 9.8% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Africa?
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Africa was 10.8% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 10.8% in 2018.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
South Africa ranks 38th out of 148 countries with data for 2018.
Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 106.7%. 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 and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-2/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,340 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Proportion of children and adolescents in the official age range for primary and lower secondary education who are not enrolled in primary or lower secondary education. To calculate the indicator, the number of students of the official age for primary and lower secondary education enrolled in primary or lower secondary education is subtracted from the total population of primary and lower secondary education. The result is expressed as a percentage of the population of the official age for primary and lower secondary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/