Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population was 96.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in South Africa stood at 96.7%. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in South Africa peaked at 96.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 57.8%, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 73rd of 137 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 57.8% | — |
| 1980 | 67.9% | +17.5% |
| 1985 | 75.2% | +10.7% |
| 2001 | 79.8% | +6.0% |
| 2002 | 87.5% | +9.7% |
| 2003 | 88.3% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 88.6% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 89.0% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 88.8% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 90.0% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 89.9% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 91.6% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 92.0% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 92.2% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 93.2% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 93.3% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 93.8% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 94.0% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 94.0% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 95.1% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 94.7% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 94.9% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 96.6% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 96.3% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 95.5% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 95.7% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 96.7% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 57.8% | 57.8% | 57.8% | 1 |
| 1980s | 71.6% | 67.9% | 75.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 88.2% | 79.8% | 91.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 93.7% | 92.0% | 95.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 96.2% | 95.5% | 96.7% | 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 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 96.7% 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 96.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.8% in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population?
- South Africa ranks 73rd out of 137 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 3.1%. 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, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release