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 78.6% 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 78.6%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary in South Africa peaked at 80.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 36.5%, in 2000.
That places South Africa 105th out of 166 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 | 62.2% | — |
| 1999 | 55.2% | -11.2% |
| 2000 | 36.5% | -33.9% |
| 2015 | 77.5% | +112.2% |
| 2018 | 76.0% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 75.8% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 80.0% | +5.6% |
| 2021 | 77.3% | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 77.2% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 78.6% | +1.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 78.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 84.0%, 94% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 78.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 55.9%, 1.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 58.7% | 55.2% | 62.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 36.5% | 36.5% | 36.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 76.4% | 75.8% | 77.5% | 3 |
| 2020s | 78.3% | 77.2% | 80.0% | 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 78.6% 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 80.0% 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 36.5% in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for adjusted net enrolment rate, one year before the official primary?
- South Africa ranks 105th 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 1.4%. 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, male (%). 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