School age population, early childhood education, female in South Africa

South Africa: School age population, early childhood education, female was 4.01 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
4.01 million number
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
13th
of 199 countries
All-time high
4.02 million number
in 2018
All-time low
523,948 number
in 1997
Years of data
20
1997–2019

School age population, early childhood education, female in South Africa, 1997–2019

1.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M1997200820191997: 523.9k number1998: 1.5M number1999: 1.5M number2000: 1.5M number2001: 1.5M number2002: 1.4M number2003: 1.4M number2004: 1.4M number2005: 1.4M number2006: 1.4M number2007: 1.4M number2008: 1.4M number2009: 1.5M number2010: 1.5M number2011: 1.5M number2012: 1.6M number2013: 1.6M number2014: 1.6M number2018: 4.0M number2019: 4.0M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, school age population, early childhood education, female in South Africa stood at 4.01 million number.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 176.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, early childhood education, female in South Africa peaked at 4.02 million number in 2018 and was at its lowest, 523,948 number, in 1997.

South Africa ranks 13th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.

School age population, early childhood education, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for School age population, early childhood education, female (number) in South Africa, 1997 to 2019.
Year number Change
1997 523,948 number
1998 1.53 million number +192.6%
1999 1.50 million number -2.2%
2000 1.47 million number -1.8%
2001 1.46 million number -1.1%
2002 1.44 million number -0.9%
2003 1.43 million number -0.7%
2004 1.42 million number -0.6%
2005 1.41 million number -0.6%
2006 1.42 million number +0.1%
2007 1.42 million number +0.5%
2008 1.44 million number +0.9%
2009 1.45 million number +1.3%
2010 1.48 million number +1.6%
2011 1.51 million number +2.2%
2012 1.55 million number +2.9%
2013 1.60 million number +3.1%
2014 1.65 million number +2.9%
2018 4.02 million number +143.8%
2019 4.01 million number -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.19 million number 523,948 number 1.53 million number 3
2000s 1.44 million number 1.41 million number 1.47 million number 10
2010s 2.26 million number 1.48 million number 4.02 million number 7

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 10 Viet Nam 4.42 million number compare
  2. 11 Bangladesh 4.26 million number compare
  3. 12 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 4.25 million number compare
  4. 14 Angola 3.33 million number compare
  5. 15 Türkiye 3.32 million number compare
  6. 16 Egypt 2.45 million number compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, early childhood education, female in South Africa?
School age population, early childhood education, female in South Africa was 4.01 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, early childhood education, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 4.02 million number in 2018.
What is the lowest school age population, early childhood education, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 523,948 number in 1997.
How does South Africa rank for school age population, early childhood education, female?
South Africa ranks 13th out of 199 countries with data for 2019.
Is school age population, early childhood education, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 176.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, early childhood education, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, early childhood education, female in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-early-childhood-education-female-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, early childhood education, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
239 places, 5,152 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Female population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to early childhood education (ISCED 0) as indicated by theoretical entrance age and duration. Within ISCED 0, early childhood educational development programmes are targeted at children aged 0 to 2 years, and pre-primary education programmes are targeted at children aged 3 years until the age to start ISCED 1. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/