Adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary in South Africa
South Africa: Adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary was 78.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary in South Africa, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary in South Africa is 78.8%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary in South Africa peaked at 79.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 37.1%, in 2000.
That places South Africa 109th out of 175 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 63.1% | — |
| 1999 | 56.1% | -11.2% |
| 2000 | 37.1% | -33.8% |
| 2015 | 70.4% | +89.9% |
| 2018 | 77.0% | +9.3% |
| 2019 | 76.6% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 79.2% | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 69.9% | -11.8% |
| 2022 | 77.5% | +10.9% |
| 2023 | 78.8% | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 59.6% | 56.1% | 63.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 37.1% | 37.1% | 37.1% | 1 |
| 2010s | 74.7% | 70.4% | 77.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 76.3% | 69.9% | 79.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 181,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 339,638 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,708 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary in South Africa?
- Adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary in South Africa was 78.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 79.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.1% in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary?
- South Africa ranks 109th out of 175 countries with data for 2023.
- Is adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release