Completion rate, primary education, male (%) in South Africa
South Africa: Completion rate, primary education, male (%) was 96.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
96.7%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
45th
of 88 countries
All-time high
98.0%
in 2021
All-time low
91.3%
in 2011
Years of data
7
2011–2024
Completion rate, primary education, male in South Africa, 2011–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, completion rate, primary education, male in South Africa stood at 96.7%.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, primary education, male in South Africa peaked at 98.0% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 91.3%, in 2011.
That places South Africa 45th out of 88 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Completion rate, primary education, male (%) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 91.3% | — |
| 2016 | 94.7% | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 96.6% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 98.0% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 96.6% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 96.9% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 96.7% | -0.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 96.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 97.2%, 100% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 96.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 56.1%, 1.7× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 93.0% | 91.3% | 94.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 97.0% | 96.6% | 98.0% | 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, primary education, male in South Africa?
- Completion rate, primary education, male in South Africa was 96.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, primary education, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 98.0% in 2021.
- What is the lowest completion rate, primary education, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 91.3% in 2011.
- How does South Africa rank for completion rate, primary education, male?
- South Africa ranks 45th out of 88 countries with data for 2024.
- Is completion rate, primary education, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release