Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent was 2.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent in South Africa, 2008–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in South Africa is 2.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 173.3% on the previous year and up 182.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in South Africa peaked at 2.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2018.
South Africa ranks 61st of 81 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1.0% | — |
| 2009 | 0.9% | -9.3% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +10.5% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | +15.2% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -28.6% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +13.2% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | +36.2% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | +25.3% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | -51.8% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +30.4% |
| 2020 | 0.9% | -10.7% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | +146.5% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | -54.7% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | -3.4% |
| 2024 | 2.7% | +173.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 0.9% | 2.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 287,310 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 25.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 101.77 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 101.8% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in South Africa?
- Educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in South Africa was 2.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2018.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent?
- South Africa ranks 61st out of 81 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 182.9%. 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 Master's or equivalent education or higher, population 25+ years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release