Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary was 1.01 GPIA in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa stood at 1.01 GPIA.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa peaked at 1.06 GPIA in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.9153 GPIA, in 2010.
That places South Africa 42nd out of 75 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 0.9207 GPIA | — |
| 2002 | 0.9677 GPIA | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 0.9503 GPIA | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 0.9688 GPIA | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 0.9545 GPIA | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 0.9411 GPIA | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 0.9658 GPIA | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 0.9573 GPIA | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 0.9758 GPIA | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 0.9153 GPIA | -6.2% |
| 2011 | 0.9475 GPIA | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 0.9191 GPIA | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 0.9678 GPIA | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 0.9836 GPIA | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 0.9713 GPIA | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 1.06 GPIA | +9.1% |
| 2017 | 1 GPIA | -5.4% |
| 2018 | 1.05 GPIA | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 1.05 GPIA | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 1.01 GPIA | -3.8% |
| 2024 | 1.01 GPIA | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.9558 GPIA | 0.9207 GPIA | 0.9758 GPIA | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.9865 GPIA | 0.9153 GPIA | 1.06 GPIA | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.01 GPIA | 1.01 GPIA | 1.01 GPIA | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 444,590 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) -4.38 % change on previous year (2023)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa?
- Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa was 1.01 GPIA in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.06 GPIA in 2016.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9153 GPIA in 2010.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary?
- South Africa ranks 42nd out of 75 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. 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 post-secondary non-tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release