Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary was 0.6187 LPIA in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa stood at 0.6187 LPIA. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 85.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa peaked at 0.6187 LPIA in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.2899 LPIA, in 2004.
South Africa ranks 31st of 72 countries on this measure, 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 | LPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 0.3432 LPIA | — |
| 2002 | 0.3126 LPIA | -8.9% |
| 2003 | 0.2923 LPIA | -6.5% |
| 2004 | 0.2899 LPIA | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 0.3158 LPIA | +8.9% |
| 2006 | 0.3422 LPIA | +8.4% |
| 2007 | 0.3215 LPIA | -6.1% |
| 2008 | 0.3183 LPIA | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 0.3001 LPIA | -5.7% |
| 2010 | 0.3257 LPIA | +8.5% |
| 2011 | 0.2988 LPIA | -8.2% |
| 2012 | 0.3079 LPIA | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 0.348 LPIA | +13.0% |
| 2014 | 0.3338 LPIA | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 0.3589 LPIA | +7.5% |
| 2016 | 0.431 LPIA | +20.1% |
| 2017 | 0.2964 LPIA | -31.2% |
| 2018 | 0.4297 LPIA | +45.0% |
| 2019 | 0.442 LPIA | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 0.5974 LPIA | +35.2% |
| 2024 | 0.6187 LPIA | +3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.3151 LPIA | 0.2899 LPIA | 0.3432 LPIA | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.3572 LPIA | 0.2964 LPIA | 0.442 LPIA | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6081 LPIA | 0.5974 LPIA | 0.6187 LPIA | 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 0.6187 LPIA 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 0.6187 LPIA in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2899 LPIA in 2004.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary?
- South Africa ranks 31st out of 72 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 85.4%. 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, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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