Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or was 75.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa stood at 75.0%. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 15.7% on the previous year and up 26.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in South Africa peaked at 75.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 1970.
That places South Africa 45th 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 | 11.3% | — |
| 2001 | 33.5% | +196.3% |
| 2002 | 40.0% | +19.2% |
| 2003 | 42.8% | +6.9% |
| 2004 | 43.6% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 44.4% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 45.2% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 47.2% | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 46.9% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 52.7% | +12.2% |
| 2010 | 53.2% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 54.6% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 57.7% | +5.8% |
| 2014 | 59.2% | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 60.6% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 55.6% | -8.2% |
| 2017 | 54.7% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 58.0% | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 59.5% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 66.1% | +11.1% |
| 2021 | 72.7% | +10.0% |
| 2022 | 64.3% | -11.6% |
| 2023 | 64.8% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 75.0% | +15.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.3% | 11.3% | 11.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 44.0% | 33.5% | 52.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 57.0% | 53.2% | 60.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 68.6% | 64.3% | 75.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.19 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -2.55 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 225,583 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 61,727 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 748,573 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -1.43 % 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 75.0% 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 75.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
- South Africa ranks 45th 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 26.7%. 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, both sexes (%). 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