Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population was 95.0% 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
South Africa recorded 95.0% for educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in South Africa peaked at 95.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 37.7%, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 60th of 98 countries on this measure, 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 | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 37.7% | — |
| 2001 | 67.6% | +79.3% |
| 2002 | 81.0% | +19.9% |
| 2003 | 81.8% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 82.1% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 81.7% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 81.6% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 83.4% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 82.5% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 86.3% | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 87.5% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 86.6% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 89.1% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 88.5% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 90.1% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 89.8% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 91.0% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 92.4% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 91.8% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 92.0% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 94.4% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 93.8% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 93.1% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 93.3% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 95.0% | +1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 37.7% | 37.7% | 37.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 80.9% | 67.6% | 86.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 89.9% | 86.6% | 92.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 93.9% | 93.1% | 95.0% | 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 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 95.0% 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 95.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.7% in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population?
- South Africa ranks 60th out of 98 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 5.4%. 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, rural, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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