Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary was 0.6114 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 0.6114 LPIA. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.3% on the previous year and up 70.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa peaked at 0.6114 LPIA in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.2913 LPIA, in 2004.
South Africa ranks 20th of 39 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa, year by year
| Year | LPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 0.3476 LPIA | — |
| 2002 | 0.2985 LPIA | -14.1% |
| 2003 | 0.2974 LPIA | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 0.2913 LPIA | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 0.3049 LPIA | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 0.3427 LPIA | +12.4% |
| 2007 | 0.3273 LPIA | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 0.3089 LPIA | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 0.319 LPIA | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 0.3472 LPIA | +8.8% |
| 2011 | 0.3215 LPIA | -7.4% |
| 2012 | 0.3452 LPIA | +7.4% |
| 2014 | 0.3593 LPIA | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 0.3955 LPIA | +10.0% |
| 2017 | 0.3276 LPIA | -17.2% |
| 2021 | 0.5645 LPIA | +72.3% |
| 2024 | 0.6114 LPIA | +8.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.3153 LPIA | 0.2913 LPIA | 0.3476 LPIA | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.3494 LPIA | 0.3215 LPIA | 0.3955 LPIA | 6 |
| 2020s | 0.588 LPIA | 0.5645 LPIA | 0.6114 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 0.6114 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 0.6114 LPIA in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2913 LPIA in 2004.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary?
- South Africa ranks 20th out of 39 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 70.2%. 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, female, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release