South Africa vs Zimbabwe: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
South Africa
16.1%
in 2024
Zimbabwe
16.9%
in 2023
South Africa rank
79th
Zimbabwe rank
77th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- South Africa
- Zimbabwe
How they compare
Zimbabwe currently reports 16.9% against 16.1% in South Africa, a difference of 0.8%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 8 shared years of data; in 2002 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 79th and Zimbabwe ranks 77th of 129 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 1 and Zimbabwe in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Zimbabwe | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.7% | 2.3% | 3.4% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 9.6% | 12.8% | 3.3% | Zimbabwe |
| 2020s | 13.1% | 16.1% | 2.9% | Zimbabwe |
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 Zimbabwe?
- Zimbabwe, at 16.9% against 16.1% in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between South Africa and Zimbabwe?
- 0.8%, with Zimbabwe ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Zimbabwe?
- 8 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2023.
- How do South Africa and Zimbabwe rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- South Africa ranks 79th and Zimbabwe ranks 77th of 129 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, 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