Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or was 0.8316 LPIA in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa stood at 0.8316 LPIA. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 7.2% on the previous year and up 18.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa peaked at 0.8316 LPIA in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.2387 LPIA, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 46th of 95 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa, year by year
| Year | LPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.2387 LPIA | — |
| 2001 | 0.4905 LPIA | +105.5% |
| 2002 | 0.5393 LPIA | +10.0% |
| 2003 | 0.5587 LPIA | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 0.5692 LPIA | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 0.5922 LPIA | +4.0% |
| 2006 | 0.5966 LPIA | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 0.6189 LPIA | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 0.6004 LPIA | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 0.6477 LPIA | +7.9% |
| 2010 | 0.654 LPIA | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 0.6631 LPIA | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 0.6912 LPIA | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 0.7022 LPIA | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 0.7167 LPIA | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 0.7112 LPIA | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 0.6782 LPIA | -4.6% |
| 2018 | 0.7226 LPIA | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 0.739 LPIA | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 0.7768 LPIA | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 0.8151 LPIA | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 0.7829 LPIA | -4.0% |
| 2023 | 0.7757 LPIA | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 0.8316 LPIA | +7.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.2387 LPIA | 0.2387 LPIA | 0.2387 LPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.5793 LPIA | 0.4905 LPIA | 0.6477 LPIA | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.6976 LPIA | 0.654 LPIA | 0.739 LPIA | 9 |
| 2020s | 0.7964 LPIA | 0.7757 LPIA | 0.8316 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 rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa?
- Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa was 0.8316 LPIA in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8316 LPIA in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2387 LPIA in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
- South Africa ranks 46th out of 95 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.4%. 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 rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release