Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population was 0.9449 LPIA in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in South Africa stood at 0.9449 LPIA. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in South Africa peaked at 0.9449 LPIA in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.4643 LPIA, in 1970.
That places South Africa 59th out of 95 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in South Africa, year by year
| Year | LPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.4643 LPIA | — |
| 2001 | 0.7042 LPIA | +51.7% |
| 2002 | 0.8168 LPIA | +16.0% |
| 2003 | 0.8196 LPIA | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 0.8288 LPIA | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 0.8189 LPIA | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 0.8205 LPIA | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 0.8295 LPIA | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 0.8312 LPIA | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 0.8632 LPIA | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 0.8721 LPIA | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 0.8723 LPIA | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.8818 LPIA | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 0.8791 LPIA | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 0.8977 LPIA | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 0.895 LPIA | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.9073 LPIA | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 0.9239 LPIA | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 0.9088 LPIA | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 0.9152 LPIA | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 0.9418 LPIA | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 0.9401 LPIA | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 0.9284 LPIA | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 0.9267 LPIA | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 0.9449 LPIA | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.4643 LPIA | 0.4643 LPIA | 0.4643 LPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.8147 LPIA | 0.7042 LPIA | 0.8632 LPIA | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.8953 LPIA | 0.8721 LPIA | 0.9239 LPIA | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9364 LPIA | 0.9267 LPIA | 0.9449 LPIA | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.22 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 287,310 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 13.45 % change on previous year (2015)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.82 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.68 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.97 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 818,404 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 3.28 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in South Africa?
- Educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in South Africa was 0.9449 LPIA in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.9449 LPIA in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4643 LPIA in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population?
- South Africa ranks 59th out of 95 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. 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 Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population 25+ years, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release