South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female

South Africa
695,479 number
in 2018
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
3.82 million number
in 2018
South Africa rank
33rd
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank
36th

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female over time

  • South Africa
  • Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M197019942018

How they compare

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) currently reports 3.82 million number against 695,479 number in South Africa, a difference of 3.13 million number.

That makes Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s figure about 5.5 times South Africa's.

Across all 14 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) has been ahead every year.

South Africa ranks 33rd and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 36th of 187 countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) Difference Ahead
1980s 183,548 number 465,716 number 282,168 number Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
1990s 237,680 number 608,605 number 370,925 number Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
2010s 621,155 number 3.47 million number 2.85 million number Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female, South Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), at 3.82 million number against 695,479 number in South Africa as of 2018.
What is the difference in enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female between South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
3.13 million number, with Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
14 years are reported by both, from 1988 to 2018.
How do South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank globally for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female?
South Africa ranks 33rd and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 36th of 187 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-female-number/south-africa/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-high-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
232 places, 7,150 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

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