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 78.9% 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
In 2023, adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary in South Africa stood at 78.9%. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 25.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary in South Africa peaked at 78.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 37.6%, in 2000.
South Africa ranks 103rd of 166 countries on this measure, 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 | 64.1% | — |
| 1999 | 56.9% | -11.2% |
| 2000 | 37.6% | -33.8% |
| 2015 | 63.1% | +67.6% |
| 2018 | 78.0% | +23.6% |
| 2019 | 77.6% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 78.4% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 62.3% | -20.5% |
| 2022 | 77.8% | +24.8% |
| 2023 | 78.9% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 60.5% | 56.9% | 64.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 37.6% | 37.6% | 37.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 72.9% | 63.1% | 78.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 74.4% | 62.3% | 78.9% | 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 78.9% 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 78.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.6% in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary?
- South Africa ranks 103rd out of 166 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 25.1%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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