Singapore vs South Africa: Share of the population with lower secondary education
Singapore
85.3%
in 2022
South Africa
85.4%
in 2024
Singapore rank
55th
South Africa rank
54th
Share of the population with lower secondary education over time
- Singapore
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 85.4% against 85.3% in Singapore, a difference of 0.1%.
Across all 19 years both countries report, Singapore has been ahead every year.
Singapore ranks 55th and South Africa ranks 54th of 135 countries.
Singapore has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Singapore | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 38.2% | 28.1% | 10.1% | Singapore |
| 2000s | 73.1% | 67.8% | 5.3% | Singapore |
| 2010s | 79.0% | 73.4% | 5.6% | Singapore |
| 2020s | 84.4% | 79.9% | 4.4% | Singapore |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the population with lower secondary education, Singapore or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 85.4% against 85.3% in Singapore as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of the population with lower secondary education between Singapore and South Africa?
- 0.1%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Singapore and South Africa?
- 19 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2022.
- How do Singapore and South Africa rank globally for share of the population with lower secondary education?
- Singapore ranks 55th and South Africa ranks 54th of 135 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population with lower secondary education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed lower secondary education or higher.