School enrollment, primary in South Africa
South Africa: School enrollment, primary was 87.0% in 2017. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, primary in South Africa, 1970–2017
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % net.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school enrollment, primary in South Africa is 87.0%, measured in 2017.
The figure is up 3.2% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school enrollment, primary in South Africa peaked at 89.7% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 67.7%, in 1970.
That places South Africa 137th out of 186 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 67.7% | 67.7% | 67.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 87.8% | 85.7% | 89.7% | 5 |
| 2000s | 87.9% | 85.9% | 89.1% | 6 |
| 2010s | 85.7% | 84.4% | 87.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 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 school enrollment, primary in South Africa?
- School enrollment, primary in South Africa was 87.0% in 2017, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school enrollment, primary recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 89.7% in 1995.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, primary recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.7% in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for school enrollment, primary?
- South Africa ranks 137th out of 186 countries with data for 2017.
- Is school enrollment, primary rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School enrollment, primary (% net). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official school age who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age. Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art, and music.