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

Cameroon
4.7%
in 2020
South Africa
5.4%
in 2020
Cameroon rank
84th
South Africa rank
82nd

Share of the population with tertiary education over time

  • Cameroon
  • South Africa
0246810187019452020

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 5.4% against 4.7% in Cameroon, a difference of 0.7%.

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

Across all 31 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

Cameroon ranks 84th and South Africa ranks 82nd of 111 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 16 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Cameroon 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 0.0% 0.1% 0.1% South Africa
1920s 0.0% 0.9% 0.9% South Africa
1930s 0.0% 1.8% 1.8% South Africa
1940s 0.1% 2.6% 2.5% South Africa
1950s 0.1% 3.1% 3.0% South Africa
1960s 0.2% 3.4% 3.3% South Africa
1970s 0.2% 3.2% 3.0% South Africa
1980s 0.3% 1.9% 1.5% South Africa
1990s 0.8% 7.4% 6.6% South Africa
2000s 1.6% 8.6% 7.0% South Africa
2010s 3.3% 5.8% 2.5% South Africa
2020s 4.7% 5.4% 0.7% South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of the population with tertiary education, Cameroon or South Africa?
South Africa, at 5.4% against 4.7% in Cameroon as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of the population with tertiary education between Cameroon and South Africa?
0.7%, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Cameroon and South Africa?
31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Cameroon and South Africa rank globally for share of the population with tertiary education?
Cameroon ranks 84th 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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Cameroon 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 03 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-the-population-with-completed-tertiary-education/cameroon/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.