Urban population, primary education and below in South Africa

South Africa: Urban population, primary education and below was 0.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.6%
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
29th
of 98 countries
All-time high
0.6%
in 2020
All-time low
0.4%
in 2003
Years of data
19
1995–2020

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

00.20.40.61995200720201995: 0.397 % of population with low education2000: 0.436 % of population with low education2001: 0.43 % of population with low education2002: 0.44 % of population with low education2003: 0.393 % of population with low education2004: 0.397 % of population with low education2005: 0.481 % of population with low education2008: 0.57 % of population with low education2009: 0.568 % of population with low education2010: 0.568 % of population with low education2011: 0.573 % of population with low education2013: 0.58 % of population with low education2014: 0.579 % of population with low education2015: 0.573 % of population with low education2016: 0.579 % of population with low education2017: 0.594 % of population with low education2018: 0.591 % of population with low education2019: 0.595 % of population with low education2020: 0.601 % of population with low education

Source: World Bank. Measured in % of population with low education.

Analysis

The most recent figure for urban population, primary education and below in South Africa is 0.6%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 5.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban population, primary education and below in South Africa peaked at 0.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2003.

That places South Africa 29th out of 98 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Urban population, primary education and below in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Urban population, primary education and below (% of population with low education) in South Africa, 1995 to 2020.
Year % of population with low education Change
1995 0.4%
2000 0.4% +9.8%
2001 0.4% -1.4%
2002 0.4% +2.1%
2003 0.4% -10.5%
2004 0.4% +0.9%
2005 0.5% +21.3%
2008 0.6% +18.5%
2009 0.6% -0.3%
2010 0.6% -0.1%
2011 0.6% +0.8%
2013 0.6% +1.3%
2014 0.6% -0.1%
2015 0.6% -1.1%
2016 0.6% +1.0%
2017 0.6% +2.6%
2018 0.6% -0.4%
2019 0.6% +0.6%
2020 0.6% +1.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
2000s 0.5% 0.4% 0.6% 8
2010s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 9
2020s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 26 Sweden 0.6% compare
  2. 27 Türkiye 0.6% compare
  3. 28 Dominican Republic 0.6% compare
  4. 30 Cyprus 0.6% compare
  5. 31 Ecuador 0.6% compare
  6. 32 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 0.6% compare

See the full ranking of 98 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is urban population, primary education and below in South Africa?
Urban population, primary education and below in South Africa was 0.6% in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest urban population, primary education and below recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 2020.
What is the lowest urban population, primary education and below recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2003.
How does South Africa rank for urban population, primary education and below?
South Africa ranks 29th out of 98 countries with data for 2020.
Is urban population, primary education and below rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. 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 Urban population, primary education and below (% of population with low education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Urban population, primary education and below in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/urban-population-primary-education-and-below-percent-of-population-with-low-education/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Urban population, primary education and below (% of population with low education)
Unit
% of population with low education
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
98 places, 1,331 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed