Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment: at least some primary (ISCED 1), population was 98.3% 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
The most recent figure for educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in South Africa is 98.3%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population in South Africa peaked at 98.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 76.4%, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 52nd of 100 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 | 76.4% | — |
| 2001 | 89.5% | +17.2% |
| 2002 | 93.9% | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 94.6% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 94.6% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 94.3% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 94.0% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 94.9% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 95.1% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 95.9% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 96.0% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 96.2% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 96.8% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 96.8% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 96.8% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 97.1% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 96.8% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 97.5% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 97.4% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 97.5% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 98.4% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 98.2% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 97.7% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 98.0% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 98.3% | +0.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 98.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 98.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 90.7%, 1.1× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 76.4% | 76.4% | 76.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 94.1% | 89.5% | 95.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 96.9% | 96.0% | 97.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.1% | 97.7% | 98.4% | 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 98.3% 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 98.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.4% in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment: at least some primary (isced 1), population?
- South Africa ranks 52nd out of 100 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 1.6%. 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, urban, both sexes (%). 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