South Africa vs Thailand: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
South Africa
17.3%
in 2024
Thailand
16.7%
in 2024
South Africa rank
84th
Thailand rank
86th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- South Africa
- Thailand
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 17.3% against 16.7% in Thailand, a difference of 0.6%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 19 shared years of data; in 1970 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 84th and Thailand ranks 86th of 129 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 1 and Thailand in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Thailand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.7% | 1.1% | 2.6% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1.4% | 3.0% | 1.6% | Thailand |
| 2000s | 4.5% | 10.3% | 5.8% | Thailand |
| 2010s | 9.8% | 16.4% | 6.6% | Thailand |
| 2020s | 14.1% | 17.7% | 3.6% | Thailand |
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 Thailand?
- South Africa, at 17.3% against 16.7% in Thailand as of 2024.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between South Africa and Thailand?
- 0.6%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Thailand?
- 19 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Thailand rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- South Africa ranks 84th and Thailand ranks 86th 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, both sexes (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release