Working-age population with primary education, primary education and in South Africa

South Africa: Working-age population with primary education, primary education and was 1.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
1.0%
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
13th
of 108 countries
All-time high
1.0%
in 2002
All-time low
0.7%
in 2006
Years of data
21
1995–2020

Working-age population with primary education, primary education and in South Africa, 1995–2020

00.20.40.60.811995200720201995: 0.729 % of population with low education in working age2000: 0.714 % of population with low education in working age2001: 0.714 % of population with low education in working age2002: 0.992 % of population with low education in working age2003: 0.714 % of population with low education in working age2004: 0.706 % of population with low education in working age2005: 0.767 % of population with low education in working age2006: 0.705 % of population with low education in working age2007: 0.714 % of population with low education in working age2008: 0.925 % of population with low education in working age2009: 0.93 % of population with low education in working age2010: 0.936 % of population with low education in working age2011: 0.94 % of population with low education in working age2013: 0.944 % of population with low education in working age2014: 0.945 % of population with low education in working age2015: 0.947 % of population with low education in working age2016: 0.952 % of population with low education in working age2017: 0.955 % of population with low education in working age2018: 0.958 % of population with low education in working age2019: 0.959 % of population with low education in working age2020: 0.97 % of population with low education in working age

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

Analysis

South Africa recorded 1.0% for working-age population with primary education, primary education and in 2020.

That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, working-age population with primary education, primary education and in South Africa peaked at 1.0% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2006.

South Africa ranks 13th of 108 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Working-age population with primary education, primary education and in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Working-age population with primary education, primary education and below (% of population with low education in working age) in South Africa, 1995 to 2020.
Year % of population with low education in working age Change
1995 0.7%
2000 0.7% -2.1%
2001 0.7% +0.0%
2002 1.0% +38.9%
2003 0.7% -28.1%
2004 0.7% -1.0%
2005 0.8% +8.7%
2006 0.7% -8.2%
2007 0.7% +1.4%
2008 0.9% +29.5%
2009 0.9% +0.5%
2010 0.9% +0.7%
2011 0.9% +0.4%
2013 0.9% +0.4%
2014 0.9% +0.1%
2015 0.9% +0.2%
2016 1.0% +0.6%
2017 1.0% +0.3%
2018 1.0% +0.3%
2019 1.0% +0.1%
2020 1.0% +1.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1
2000s 0.8% 0.7% 1.0% 10
2010s 0.9% 0.9% 1.0% 9
2020s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 10 Romania 1.0% compare
  2. 11 Tunisia 1.0% compare
  3. 12 Serbia 1.0% compare
  4. 14 Argentina 1.0% compare
  5. 15 Malta 1.0% compare
  6. 16 Kazakhstan 1.0% compare

See the full ranking of 108 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is working-age population with primary education, primary education and in South Africa?
Working-age population with primary education, primary education and in South Africa was 1.0% in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest working-age population with primary education, primary education and recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.0% in 2002.
What is the lowest working-age population with primary education, primary education and recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2006.
How does South Africa rank for working-age population with primary education, primary education and?
South Africa ranks 13th out of 108 countries with data for 2020.
Is working-age population with primary education, primary education and rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. 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 Working-age population with primary education, primary education and below (% of population with low education in working age). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Working-age population with primary education, primary education and in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/working-age-population-with-primary-education-primary-education-and-below-percent-of/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Working-age population with primary education, primary education and below (% of population with low education in working age)
Unit
% of population with low education in working age
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
108 places, 1,501 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed