Completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) in South Africa
South Africa: Completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) was 98.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) in South Africa, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 98.3% for completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) in South Africa peaked at 98.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 68.7%, in 1981.
South Africa ranks 84th of 165 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 68.7% | — |
| 1982 | 70.1% | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 71.6% | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 73.1% | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 74.7% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 76.1% | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 77.6% | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 79.1% | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 80.4% | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 81.6% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 82.7% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 83.8% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 84.7% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 85.6% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 86.2% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 86.9% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 87.7% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 88.4% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 89.0% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 89.6% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 90.2% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 90.6% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 91.0% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 91.6% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 92.1% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 92.7% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 93.3% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 93.7% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 94.1% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 94.3% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 94.5% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 94.8% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 95.2% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 95.6% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 96.0% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 96.3% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 96.5% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 96.8% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 97.0% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 97.3% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 97.5% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 97.7% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 97.9% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 98.1% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 98.3% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 74.6% | 68.7% | 80.4% | 9 |
| 1990s | 85.7% | 81.6% | 89.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 91.9% | 89.6% | 94.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 95.7% | 94.3% | 97.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.8% | 97.3% | 98.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 287,310 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 25.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 101.77 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 101.8% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) in South Africa?
- Completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) in South Africa was 98.3% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 98.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.7% in 1981.
- How does South Africa rank for completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data)?
- South Africa ranks 84th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. 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, primary education, female (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release