Birth Registration in South Africa Although South Africa’s birth registration rate is comparatively higher than other countries in Southern Africa, it still falls short of the standard of universal birth registration.[1] South Africa’s birth registration rate has remained stagnant for nearly a decade, leaving thousands of children unregistered.[2] In a 2019 court case concerning the rights of undocumented children to basic education revealed that there were more than 900 000 undocumented children enrolled in public schools in South Africa, of whom more than 800 000 were South African citizens.[3] {1}United Nations Children’s Fund, A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa, UNICEF, New York, 2020 [2]Statistics South Africa, Statistical release P0305, Recorded Live Births (2018 report): 2007 – 2011 = 89,2%; 2011 – 2016 = 88,6%, 2017 – 2018 = 89,2%. [3]Centre for Child Law v Minister of Basic Education and others