Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population was 0.9994 GPIA in 2024. ▼ Falling
Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.9994 GPIA for educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in South Africa peaked at 1.09 GPIA in 1970 and was at its lowest, 0.9808 GPIA, in 2008.
That places South Africa 41st out of 98 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.09 GPIA | — |
| 2001 | 0.9828 GPIA | -9.5% |
| 2002 | 0.9886 GPIA | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 0.9825 GPIA | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 0.9924 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 0.985 GPIA | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 0.9831 GPIA | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 0.9826 GPIA | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.9808 GPIA | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 0.9831 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 0.9864 GPIA | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 0.9878 GPIA | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 0.993 GPIA | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 0.99 GPIA | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 0.9871 GPIA | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 0.992 GPIA | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 0.9915 GPIA | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.9944 GPIA | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 0.9904 GPIA | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 0.9919 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.9945 GPIA | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.9919 GPIA | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 0.9959 GPIA | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 0.9951 GPIA | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 0.9994 GPIA | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.09 GPIA | 1.09 GPIA | 1.09 GPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.9845 GPIA | 0.9808 GPIA | 0.9924 GPIA | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.9904 GPIA | 0.9864 GPIA | 0.9944 GPIA | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9953 GPIA | 0.9919 GPIA | 0.9994 GPIA | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 39 Republic of Moldova 0.9999 GPIA compare
- 40 Kazakhstan 0.9995 GPIA compare
- 42 Dominican Republic 0.9981 GPIA compare
- 43 Uruguay 0.9978 GPIA compare
- 44 Costa Rica 0.9977 GPIA compare
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 0.9994 GPIA 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 1.09 GPIA in 1970.
- What is the lowest educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9808 GPIA in 2008.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population?
- South Africa ranks 41st 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 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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, urban, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release