Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or was 74.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 74.1% for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in 2024. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 16.9% on the previous year and up 28.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa peaked at 74.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 10.2%, in 1970.
That places South Africa 43rd out of 94 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 10.2% | — |
| 2001 | 31.8% | +212.3% |
| 2002 | 38.4% | +20.7% |
| 2003 | 40.4% | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 42.4% | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 42.3% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 43.3% | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 45.7% | +5.7% |
| 2008 | 44.9% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 50.4% | +12.2% |
| 2010 | 51.0% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 53.6% | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 55.8% | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 57.6% | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 58.5% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 53.4% | -8.6% |
| 2017 | 54.1% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 56.1% | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 57.5% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 64.8% | +12.7% |
| 2021 | 71.1% | +9.6% |
| 2022 | 63.1% | -11.2% |
| 2023 | 63.4% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 74.1% | +16.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.2% | 10.2% | 10.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 42.2% | 31.8% | 50.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 55.3% | 51.0% | 58.5% | 9 |
| 2020s | 67.3% | 63.1% | 74.1% | 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 74.1% 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 74.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.2% in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
- South Africa ranks 43rd out of 94 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 28.6%. 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 rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, female (%). 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