Completion rate, lower secondary education, urban, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: Completion rate, lower secondary education, urban, both sexes was 94.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Completion rate, lower secondary education, urban, both sexes in South Africa, 2011–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 94.0% for completion rate, lower secondary education, urban, both sexes in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, lower secondary education, urban, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 95.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 88.4%, in 2011.
South Africa ranks 36th of 87 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Completion rate, lower secondary education, urban, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 88.4% | — |
| 2016 | 90.9% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 95.8% | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 95.2% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 93.4% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 92.3% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 94.0% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 89.7% | 88.4% | 90.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 94.1% | 92.3% | 95.8% | 5 |
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 completion rate, lower secondary education, urban, both sexes in South Africa?
- Completion rate, lower secondary education, urban, both sexes in South Africa was 94.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, lower secondary education, urban, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 95.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest completion rate, lower secondary education, urban, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 88.4% in 2011.
- How does South Africa rank for completion rate, lower secondary education, urban, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 36th out of 87 countries with data for 2024.
- Is completion rate, lower secondary education, urban, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. 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 Completion rate, lower secondary education, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release