Low income vs South Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes

Low income
5.53 million number
in 2018
South Africa
1.18 million number
in 2018
Low income rank
39th
South Africa rank
36th

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes over time

  • Low income
  • South Africa
02.0M4.0M6.0M197019942018

How they compare

Low income currently reports 5.53 million number against 1.18 million number in South Africa, a difference of 4.36 million number.

That makes Low income's figure about 4.7 times South Africa's.

Across all 16 years both countries report, Low income has been ahead every year.

Low income ranks 39th and South Africa ranks 36th of 45 groups.

Low income has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Low income South Africa Difference Ahead
1970s 682,122 number 90,637 number 591,485 number Low income
1980s 1.53 million number 399,942 number 1.13 million number Low income
1990s 1.58 million number 513,419 number 1.07 million number Low income
2010s 5.23 million number 1.07 million number 4.17 million number Low income

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes, Low income or South Africa?
Low income, at 5.53 million number against 1.18 million number in South Africa as of 2018.
What is the difference in enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes between Low income and South Africa?
4.36 million number, with Low income ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Low income and South Africa?
16 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2018.
How do Low income and South Africa rank globally for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes?
Low income ranks 39th and South Africa ranks 36th of 45 groups.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Low income vs South Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-both-sexes-number/low-income/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
238 places, 8,058 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

The total number of students enrolled at public and private tertiary education institutions.