Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa

South Africa: Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) was 9.8% in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
9.8%
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
30th
of 156 countries
All-time high
15.2%
in 1999
All-time low
6.1%
in 2002
Years of data
6
1999–2017

Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa, 1999–2017

0510151999200820171999: 15.2 %2001: 9.1 %2002: 6.1 %2003: 12.3 %2015: 9.7 %2017: 9.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2017, repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa stood at 9.8%.

The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and down 19.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa peaked at 15.2% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 6.1%, in 2002.

South Africa ranks 30th of 156 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades), female (%) in South Africa, 1999 to 2017.
Year % Change
1999 15.2%
2001 9.1% -39.9%
2002 6.1% -32.9%
2003 12.3% +100.2%
2015 9.7% -21.2%
2017 9.8% +1.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 15.2% 15.2% 15.2% 1
2000s 9.2% 6.1% 12.3% 3
2010s 9.8% 9.7% 9.8% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 27 Argentina 10.6% compare
  2. 28 Zambia 10.5% compare
  3. 29 Madagascar 10.3% compare
  4. 31 Aruba 9.1% compare
  5. 32 Bhutan 8.2% compare
  6. 33 Lebanon 8.0% compare

See the full ranking of 156 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa?
Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa was 9.8% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 15.2% in 1999.
What is the lowest repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 6.1% in 2002.
How does South Africa rank for repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades)?
South Africa ranks 30th out of 156 countries with data for 2017.
Is repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.8%. 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 Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades), female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/repetition-rate-in-lower-secondary-general-education-all-grades-female-percent/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/repetition-rate-in-lower-secondary-general-education-all-grades-female-percent/south-africa/">Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades) in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Repetition rate in lower secondary general education (all grades), female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
156 places, 1,984 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of female repeaters in lower secondary education in a given school year, expressed as a percentage of female enrolment in lower secondary education in the previous school year. Divide the number of female repeaters in lower secondary education in school year t+1 by the number of female pupils from the same cohort enrolled in lower secondary education in the previous school year t.