Completion rate, upper secondary education, female in South Africa

South Africa: Completion rate, upper secondary education, female was 68.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
68.4%
Change on year
up 8.2%
World rank
53rd
of 95 countries
All-time high
68.4%
in 2024
All-time low
51.9%
in 2016
Years of data
7
2011–2024

Completion rate, upper secondary education, female in South Africa, 2011–2024

02040602011201720242011: 52.1 %2016: 51.9 %2020: 62.3 %2021: 65.3 %2022: 62.1 %2023: 63.3 %2024: 68.4 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2024, completion rate, upper secondary education, female in South Africa stood at 68.4%. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.2% on the previous year and up 31.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, completion rate, upper secondary education, female in South Africa peaked at 68.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 51.9%, in 2016.

That places South Africa 53rd out of 95 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

Completion rate, upper secondary education, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Completion rate, upper secondary education, female (%) in South Africa, 2011 to 2024.
Year % Change
2011 52.1%
2016 51.9% -0.3%
2020 62.3% +20.0%
2021 65.3% +4.9%
2022 62.1% -4.9%
2023 63.3% +1.9%
2024 68.4% +8.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 52.0% 51.9% 52.1% 2
2020s 64.3% 62.1% 68.4% 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 50 Jordan 72.5% compare
  2. 51 Nigeria 70.0% compare
  3. 52 Dominican Republic 69.4% compare
  4. 54 Guyana 68.3% compare
  5. 55 Mexico 67.8% compare
  6. 56 Vietnam 64.8% compare

See the full ranking of 134 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is completion rate, upper secondary education, female in South Africa?
Completion rate, upper secondary education, female in South Africa was 68.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest completion rate, upper secondary education, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 68.4% in 2024.
What is the lowest completion rate, upper secondary education, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 51.9% in 2016.
How does South Africa rank for completion rate, upper secondary education, female?
South Africa ranks 53rd out of 95 countries with data for 2024.
Is completion rate, upper secondary education, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 31.8%. 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, upper secondary education, female (%). 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Completion rate, upper secondary education, female in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/completion-rate-upper-secondary-education-female-percent-2/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-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/completion-rate-upper-secondary-education-female-percent-2/south-africa/">Completion rate, upper secondary education, female in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Completion rate, upper secondary education, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
134 places, 2,473 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release