Belize vs South Africa: Share of the population with tertiary education

Belize
5.0%
in 2020
South Africa
5.4%
in 2020
Belize rank
83rd
South Africa rank
82nd

Share of the population with tertiary education over time

  • Belize
  • South Africa
0246810187019452020

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 5.4% against 5.0% in Belize, a difference of 0.4%.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Belize's.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was South Africa ahead.

Belize ranks 83rd and South Africa ranks 82nd of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Belize averaged higher in 8 and South Africa in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Belize South Africa Difference Ahead
1870s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1880s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1890s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1900s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1910s 1.4% 0.1% 1.4% Belize
1920s 3.2% 0.9% 2.4% Belize
1930s 5.1% 1.8% 3.3% Belize
1940s 6.8% 2.6% 4.2% Belize
1950s 8.0% 3.1% 4.9% Belize
1960s 7.8% 3.4% 4.4% Belize
1970s 1.6% 3.2% 1.6% South Africa
1980s 3.4% 1.9% 1.5% Belize
1990s 7.4% 7.4% 0.0%
2000s 7.1% 8.6% 1.5% South Africa
2010s 5.9% 5.8% 0.1% Belize
2020s 5.0% 5.4% 0.4% South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of the population with tertiary education, Belize or South Africa?
South Africa, at 5.4% against 5.0% in Belize as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of the population with tertiary education between Belize and South Africa?
0.4%, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Belize and South Africa?
31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Belize and South Africa rank globally for share of the population with tertiary education?
Belize ranks 83rd and South Africa ranks 82nd of 111 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population with tertiary education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Belize vs South Africa: Share of the population with tertiary education. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-the-population-with-completed-tertiary-education/belize/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of the population with tertiary education
Unit
%
Source
Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
111 places, 3,441 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the population aged 25 to 65 years who have either completed or partially completed tertiary education.