Preprimary education, duration in South Africa
South Africa: Preprimary education, duration was 7 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Preprimary education, duration in South Africa, 1999–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for preprimary education, duration in South Africa is 7 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, preprimary education, duration in South Africa peaked at 7 years in 1999 and was at its lowest, 7 years, in 1999.
South Africa ranks 1st of 202 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 25.7% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 101.8% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 287,310 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female 99.2% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, male 104.3% (2023)
- Labor force, total 26.73 million (2025)
- Labor force, female 46.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is preprimary education, duration in South Africa?
- Preprimary education, duration in South Africa was 7 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest preprimary education, duration recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 7 years in 1999.
- What is the lowest preprimary education, duration recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 years in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for preprimary education, duration?
- South Africa ranks 1st out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is preprimary education, duration rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Preprimary education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Preprimary duration refers to the number of grades (years) in preprimary school.