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

South Africa: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male was 21.6% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
21.6%
Change on year
down 17.1%
World rank
69th
of 142 countries
All-time high
31.6%
in 2001
All-time low
10.4%
in 2015
Years of data
11
1994–2018

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

10152025301994200620181994: 23.5 %1999: 30.7 %2000: 30.1 %2001: 31.6 %2002: 27.3 %2003: 26.9 %2004: 27.6 %2005: 27.1 %2015: 10.4 %2017: 26.1 %2018: 21.6 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa is 21.6%, measured in 2018.

That represents a change of down 17.1% on the previous year and down 20.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa peaked at 31.6% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 2015.

South Africa ranks 69th of 142 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, male in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male (%) in South Africa, 1994 to 2018.
Year % Change
1994 23.5%
1999 30.7% +30.6%
2000 30.1% -1.9%
2001 31.6% +5.1%
2002 27.3% -13.7%
2003 26.9% -1.4%
2004 27.6% +2.6%
2005 27.1% -1.8%
2015 10.4% -61.5%
2017 26.1% +149.6%
2018 21.6% -17.1%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 21.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 22.4%, 96% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 21.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 45.1%, 48% of the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 27.1% 23.5% 30.7% 2
2000s 28.5% 26.9% 31.6% 6
2010s 19.4% 10.4% 26.1% 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 66 Egypt 22.7% compare
  2. 67 Colombia 22.0% compare
  3. 68 Luxembourg 21.8% compare
  4. 70 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 21.1% compare
  5. 71 Romania 21.0% compare
  6. 72 Thailand 20.9% compare

See the full ranking of 187 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, male in South Africa?
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male in South Africa was 21.6% 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, male 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, male recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male?
South Africa ranks 69th out of 142 countries with data for 2018.
Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.4%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male 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-male-percent/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
187 places, 2,983 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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