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 11.7% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
11.7%
Change on year
up 17.9%
World rank
35th
of 149 countries
All-time high
11.7%
in 2018
All-time low
4.1%
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

02.557.51012.51994200620181994: 11.6 %1999: 9.6 %2000: 10.9 %2001: 10.6 %2002: 9.4 %2003: 8 %2004: 6.8 %2005: 6.3 %2015: 4.1 %2017: 9.9 %2018: 11.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 11.7% for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2018. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.9% on the previous year and up 86.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in South Africa peaked at 11.7% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 2015.

South Africa ranks 35th of 149 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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, both sexes (%) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year % Change
1994 11.6%
1999 9.6% -16.7%
2000 10.9% +13.0%
2001 10.6% -2.5%
2002 9.4% -11.1%
2003 8.0% -15.3%
2004 6.8% -15.2%
2005 6.3% -7.7%
2015 4.1% -34.4%
2017 9.9% +141.5%
2018 11.7% +17.9%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 11.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 2.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 11.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.5%, 93% of the median. (27 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 10.6% 9.6% 11.6% 2
2000s 8.7% 6.3% 10.9% 6
2010s 8.6% 4.1% 11.7% 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 32 Suriname 12.3% compare
  2. 33 British Virgin Islands 12.1% compare
  3. 34 Eswatini 12.0% compare
  4. 36 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 11.1% compare
  5. 37 Romania 11.0% compare
  6. 38 Sao Tome and Principe 10.8% compare

See the full ranking of 192 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 11.7% 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 11.7% 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 4.1% in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
South Africa ranks 35th out of 149 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 86.8%. 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, both sexes (%). 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 15 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age/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, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
192 places, 4,615 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/