Completion rate, primary education, urban, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: Completion rate, primary education, urban, both sexes was 97.8% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Completion rate, primary education, urban, both sexes in South Africa, 2011–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 97.8% for completion rate, primary education, urban, both sexes in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, primary education, urban, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 98.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 95.3%, in 2011.
That places South Africa 41st out of 83 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Completion rate, primary education, urban, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 95.3% | — |
| 2016 | 97.9% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 98.4% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 98.7% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 97.6% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 97.9% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 97.8% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 96.6% | 95.3% | 97.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 98.1% | 97.6% | 98.7% | 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, urban, both sexes in South Africa?
- Completion rate, primary education, urban, both sexes in South Africa was 97.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, primary education, urban, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 98.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest completion rate, primary education, urban, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 95.3% in 2011.
- How does South Africa rank for completion rate, primary education, urban, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 41st out of 83 countries with data for 2024.
- Is completion rate, primary education, urban, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Completion rate, primary 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