South Africa vs Sri Lanka: Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher
South Africa
81.9%
in 2024
Sri Lanka
86.9%
in 2023
South Africa rank
60th
Sri Lanka rank
57th
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher over time
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 86.9% against 81.9% in South Africa, a difference of 5.0%.
That makes Sri Lanka's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
Across all 14 years both countries report, Sri Lanka has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 60th and Sri Lanka ranks 57th of 100 countries.
Sri Lanka has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 42.9% | 87.6% | 44.7% | Sri Lanka |
| 2010s | 70.1% | 84.4% | 14.3% | Sri Lanka |
| 2020s | 79.5% | 87.1% | 7.6% | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher, South Africa or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 86.9% against 81.9% in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher between South Africa and Sri Lanka?
- 5.0%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sri Lanka?
- 14 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2023.
- How do South Africa and Sri Lanka rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- South Africa ranks 60th and Sri Lanka ranks 57th of 100 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, male (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release