Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary was 1 GPIA in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1 GPIA
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
64th
of 108 countries
All-time high
1.04 GPIA
in 2016
All-time low
0.8624 GPIA
in 2007
Years of data
21
2001–2024
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 GPIA.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in South Africa peaked at 1.04 GPIA in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.8624 GPIA, in 2007.
That places South Africa 64th out of 108 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 | 0.895 GPIA | — |
| 2002 | 0.886 GPIA | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 0.9213 GPIA | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 0.9234 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 0.8716 GPIA | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 0.9478 GPIA | +8.7% |
| 2007 | 0.8624 GPIA | -9.0% |
| 2008 | 0.9251 GPIA | +7.3% |
| 2009 | 0.9447 GPIA | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 0.9 GPIA | -4.7% |
| 2011 | 0.9328 GPIA | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 0.9135 GPIA | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 0.9538 GPIA | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 0.9712 GPIA | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 0.9679 GPIA | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 1.04 GPIA | +7.9% |
| 2017 | 0.9992 GPIA | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 1.03 GPIA | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 1.04 GPIA | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 0.9885 GPIA | -5.3% |
| 2024 | 1 GPIA | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.9086 GPIA | 0.8624 GPIA | 0.9478 GPIA | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.9753 GPIA | 0.9 GPIA | 1.04 GPIA | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9965 GPIA | 0.9885 GPIA | 1 GPIA | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 61 Greece 1.03 GPIA compare
- 62 Cayman Islands 1.03 GPIA compare
- 63 Chile 1.01 GPIA compare
- 65 Kazakhstan 1 GPIA compare
- 66 Andorra 0.999 GPIA compare
- 67 Netherlands 0.9825 GPIA compare
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- 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 years (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 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 1.04 GPIA in 2016.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8624 GPIA in 2007.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary?
- South Africa ranks 64th out of 108 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 3.4%. 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 gender parity index (GPIA). 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