Portugal vs South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or

Portugal
32.1%
in 2023
South Africa
32.4%
in 2024
Portugal rank
62nd
South Africa rank
61st

Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or over time

  • Portugal
  • South Africa
010203040197019972024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 32.4% against 32.1% in Portugal, a difference of 0.3%.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 16 shared years of data; in 2001 it was South Africa ahead.

Portugal ranks 62nd and South Africa ranks 61st of 113 countries.

Across the 3 decades both report, Portugal averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Portugal South Africa Difference Ahead
2000s 15.4% 16.5% 1.0% South Africa
2010s 25.1% 23.7% 1.3% Portugal
2020s 30.2% 32.5% 2.3% South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or, Portugal or South Africa?
South Africa, at 32.4% against 32.1% in Portugal as of 2024.
What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or between Portugal and South Africa?
0.3%, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and South Africa?
16 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2023.
How do Portugal and South Africa rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
Portugal ranks 62nd and South Africa ranks 61st of 113 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, both sexes (%). 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

Portugal vs South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/educational-attainment-rate-completed-upper-secondary-education-or-higher-population-25-7/portugal/south-africa/

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-upper-secondary-education-or-higher-population-25-7/portugal/south-africa/">Portugal vs South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
113 places, 1,735 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release