Barro-Lee: Percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary in South Africa

South Africa: Barro-Lee: Percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary was 72.2% in 2010. ▲ Rising

Latest (2010)
72.2%
World rank
17th
of 144 countries
All-time high
72.2%
in 2010
All-time low
25.3%
in 1960
Years of data
11
1960–2010

Barro-Lee: Percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary in South Africa, 1960–2010

30405060701960198520101960: 25.3 Incomplete and Completed Secondary1965: 27.1 Incomplete and Completed Secondary1970: 29.2 Incomplete and Completed Secondary1975: 29 Incomplete and Completed Secondary1980: 28.6 Incomplete and Completed Secondary1985: 28.8 Incomplete and Completed Secondary1990: 35.6 Incomplete and Completed Secondary1995: 48.5 Incomplete and Completed Secondary2000: 53.4 Incomplete and Completed Secondary2005: 63.5 Incomplete and Completed Secondary2010: 72.2 Incomplete and Completed Secondary

Source: Robert J. Barro and Jong-Wha Lee: http://www.barrolee.com/. Measured in Incomplete and Completed Secondary.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 72.2% for barro-lee: percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary in 2010. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 35.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, barro-lee: percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary in South Africa peaked at 72.2% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 25.3%, in 1960.

That places South Africa 17th out of 144 countries with data for 2010, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.

Barro-Lee: Percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Barro-Lee: Percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary schooling. Total (Incomplete and Completed Secondary) in South Africa, 1960 to 2010.
Year Incomplete and Completed Secondary Change
1960 25.3%
1965 27.1% +7.4%
1970 29.2% +7.7%
1975 29.0% -0.9%
1980 28.6% -1.5%
1985 28.8% +0.9%
1990 35.6% +23.8%
1995 48.5% +36.0%
2000 53.4% +10.2%
2005 63.5% +18.8%
2010 72.2% +13.8%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 72.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 50.1%, 1.4× the median. (40 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 72.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.4%, 3.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 26.2% 25.3% 27.1% 2
1970s 29.1% 29.0% 29.2% 2
1980s 28.7% 28.6% 28.8% 2
1990s 42.1% 35.6% 48.5% 2
2000s 58.4% 53.4% 63.5% 2
2010s 72.2% 72.2% 72.2% 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 14 Armenia 74.7% compare
  2. 15 Latvia 74.1% compare
  3. 16 Slovenia 73.1% compare
  4. 18 Switzerland 71.9% compare
  5. 19 Kazakhstan 70.6% compare
  6. 20 Finland 69.9% compare

See the full ranking of 144 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is barro-lee: percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary in South Africa?
Barro-lee: percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary in South Africa was 72.2% in 2010, according to Robert J. Barro and Jong-Wha Lee: http://www.barrolee.com/.
What is the highest barro-lee: percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 72.2% in 2010.
What is the lowest barro-lee: percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 25.3% in 1960.
How does South Africa rank for barro-lee: percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary?
South Africa ranks 17th out of 144 countries with data for 2010.
Is barro-lee: percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 35.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Robert J. Barro and Jong-Wha Lee: http://www.barrolee.com/, published as part of Barro-Lee: Percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary schooling. Total (Incomplete and Completed Secondary). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Barro-Lee: Percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Robert J. Barro and Jong-Wha Lee: http://www.barrolee.com/. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/barro-lee-percentage-of-female-population-age-15-with-secondary-schooling-total/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/barro-lee-percentage-of-female-population-age-15-with-secondary-schooling-total/south-africa/">Barro-Lee: Percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Barro-Lee: Percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary schooling. Total (Incomplete and Completed Secondary)
Unit
Incomplete and Completed Secondary
Source
Robert J. Barro and Jong-Wha Lee: http://www.barrolee.com/
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
144 places, 1,584 data points, 1960–2010
Last refreshed

Percentage of female population age 15+ with secondary schooling. Total (Incomplete and Completed Secondary)