Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent was 3.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent in South Africa, 2008–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 3.3% for educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in 2024. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
The figure is up 258.4% on the previous year and up 301.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in South Africa peaked at 3.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2016.
That places South Africa 48th out of 65 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 0.6% | — |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 0.7% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | +27.2% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | -23.6% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | +27.0% |
| 2015 | 1.4% | +74.6% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | -58.4% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | +207.5% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | -56.7% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | +11.1% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -23.0% |
| 2021 | 2.6% | +278.3% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | -61.9% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | -6.1% |
| 2024 | 3.3% | +258.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.8% | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 0.7% | 3.3% | 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 3.3% 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 3.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent?
- South Africa ranks 48th out of 65 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 301.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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, urban, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release