South Africa vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education

South Africa
1.15 GPIA
in 2024
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1.15 GPIA
in 2021
South Africa rank
47th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
46th

Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time

  • South Africa
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
00.250.50.7511.2197019972024

How they compare

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 1.15 GPIA against 1.15 GPIA in South Africa, a difference of 0 GPIA.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 9 shared years of data; in 2009 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.

South Africa ranks 47th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 46th of 88 countries.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Difference Ahead
2000s 0.9908 GPIA 1.05 GPIA 0.0613 GPIA United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2010s 1 GPIA 1.04 GPIA 0.0427 GPIA United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2020s 1.08 GPIA 1.13 GPIA 0.0481 GPIA United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education, South Africa or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 1.15 GPIA against 1.15 GPIA in South Africa as of 2021.
What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between South Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
0 GPIA, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
9 years are reported by both, from 2009 to 2021.
How do South Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
South Africa ranks 47th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 46th of 88 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

South Africa vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/educational-attainment-rate-completed-short-cycle-tertiary-education-or-higher-population-13/south-africa/united-kingdom/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/educational-attainment-rate-completed-short-cycle-tertiary-education-or-higher-population-13/south-africa/united-kingdom/">South Africa vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA)
Unit
GPIA
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
88 places, 1,446 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release