School age population, early childhood educational development program in South Africa

South Africa: School age population, early childhood educational development program was 3.44 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
3.44 million number
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
6th
of 92 countries
All-time high
3.46 million number
in 2018
All-time low
1.90 million number
in 2005
Years of data
19
1998–2019

School age population, early childhood educational development program in South Africa, 1998–2019

01.0M2.0M3.0M1998200820191998: 2.1M number1999: 2.0M number2000: 2.0M number2001: 2.0M number2002: 1.9M number2003: 1.9M number2004: 1.9M number2005: 1.9M number2006: 1.9M number2007: 1.9M number2008: 1.9M number2009: 2.0M number2010: 2.0M number2011: 2.0M number2012: 2.1M number2013: 2.2M number2014: 2.2M number2018: 3.5M number2019: 3.4M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for school age population, early childhood educational development program in South Africa is 3.44 million number, measured in 2019.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and up 75.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, early childhood educational development program in South Africa peaked at 3.46 million number in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.90 million number, in 2005.

That places South Africa 6th out of 92 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2.03 million number 2.01 million number 2.06 million number 2
2000s 1.93 million number 1.90 million number 1.98 million number 10
2010s 2.49 million number 2.00 million number 3.46 million number 7

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 3 Pakistan 9.99 million number compare
  2. 4 Mexico 6.63 million number compare
  3. 5 Viet Nam 4.75 million number compare
  4. 7 Myanmar 2.73 million number compare
  5. 8 Türkiye 2.68 million number compare
  6. 9 Ghana 2.49 million number compare

See the full ranking of 131 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, early childhood educational development program in South Africa?
School age population, early childhood educational development program in South Africa was 3.44 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, early childhood educational development program recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 3.46 million number in 2018.
What is the lowest school age population, early childhood educational development program recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 1.90 million number in 2005.
How does South Africa rank for school age population, early childhood educational development program?
South Africa ranks 6th out of 92 countries with data for 2019.
Is school age population, early childhood educational development program rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 75.4%. 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 educational development programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, early childhood educational development program in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-early-childhood-educational-development-programmes-both-sexes-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, early childhood educational development programmes, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
131 places, 2,087 data points, 1972–2020
Last refreshed

Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to early childhood educational development as indicated by theoretical entrance age and duration. 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/