Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female in South Africa

South Africa: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female was 19.7% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
19.7%
Change on year
up 166.3%
World rank
66th
of 143 countries
All-time high
31.6%
in 2001
All-time low
7.4%
in 2017
Years of data
11
1994–2018

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female in South Africa, 1994–2018

510152025301994200620181994: 21.1 %1999: 29.6 %2000: 31.2 %2001: 31.6 %2002: 27.3 %2003: 26.3 %2004: 26.6 %2005: 26.4 %2015: 14.5 %2017: 7.4 %2018: 19.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/). Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2018, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female in South Africa stood at 19.7%.

That represents a change of up 166.3% on the previous year and down 25.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female in South Africa peaked at 31.6% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 2017.

South Africa ranks 66th of 143 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 youth of upper secondary school age, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female (%) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year % Change
1994 21.1%
1999 29.6% +40.5%
2000 31.2% +5.3%
2001 31.6% +1.2%
2002 27.3% -13.4%
2003 26.3% -3.8%
2004 26.6% +1.3%
2005 26.4% -0.8%
2015 14.5% -44.9%
2017 7.4% -49.2%
2018 19.7% +166.3%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 19.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.8%, 99% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 19.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 52.6%, 37% of the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 25.4% 21.1% 29.6% 2
2000s 28.2% 26.3% 31.6% 6
2010s 13.9% 7.4% 19.7% 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 63 Thailand 21.0% compare
  2. 64 Colombia 19.9% compare
  3. 65 Switzerland 19.7% compare
  4. 67 Ecuador 19.1% compare
  5. 68 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 19.0% compare
  6. 69 United Arab Emirates 19.0% compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female in South Africa?
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female in South Africa was 19.7% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/).
What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 31.6% in 2001.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 2017.
How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female?
South Africa ranks 66th out of 143 countries with data for 2018.
Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.4%. 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 (http://uis.unesco.org/), published as part of Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/). Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-youth-of-upper-secondary-school-age-female-percent/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
188 places, 2,990 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of females of official upper secondary school age who are not enrolled in upper secondary school expressed as a percentage of the female population of official upper secondary school age.