Total sample population, primary education and below in South Africa

South Africa: Total sample population, primary education and below was 41.58 million in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
41.58 million
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
12th
of 105 countries
All-time high
41.58 million
in 2020
All-time low
14.25 million
in 2006
Years of data
21
1995–2020

Total sample population, primary education and below in South Africa, 1995–2020

10.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M1995200720201995: 16.3M2000: 15.0M2001: 14.4M2002: 15.0M2003: 15.6M2004: 15.3M2005: 24.5M2006: 14.2M2007: 14.5M2008: 38.3M2009: 38.3M2010: 38.6M2011: 38.8M2013: 39.3M2014: 39.3M2015: 39.7M2016: 40.5M2017: 41.0M2018: 40.9M2019: 41.0M2020: 41.6M

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

The most recent figure for total sample population, primary education and below in South Africa is 41.58 million, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.

The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total sample population, primary education and below in South Africa peaked at 41.58 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 14.25 million, in 2006.

South Africa ranks 12th of 105 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 16.27 million 16.27 million 16.27 million 1
2000s 20.51 million 14.25 million 38.28 million 10
2010s 39.89 million 38.57 million 40.99 million 9
2020s 41.58 million 41.58 million 41.58 million 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 9 Egypt 44.02 million compare
  2. 10 Kenya 43.92 million compare
  3. 11 Tanzania 42.88 million compare
  4. 13 Ethiopia 41.09 million compare
  5. 14 Thailand 35.78 million compare
  6. 15 Colombia 27.35 million compare

See the full ranking of 107 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is total sample population, primary education and below in South Africa?
Total sample population, primary education and below in South Africa was 41.58 million in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest total sample population, primary education and below recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 41.58 million in 2020.
What is the lowest total sample population, primary education and below recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 14.25 million in 2006.
How does South Africa rank for total sample population, primary education and below?
South Africa ranks 12th out of 105 countries with data for 2020.
Is total sample population, primary education and below rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Total sample population, primary education and below. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Total sample population, primary education and below
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
107 places, 1,492 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed