Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher was 0.8772 LPIA in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa stood at 0.8772 LPIA. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 15.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa peaked at 0.8772 LPIA in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.3159 LPIA, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 62nd of 99 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa, year by year
| Year | LPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.3159 LPIA | — |
| 2001 | 0.5661 LPIA | +79.2% |
| 2002 | 0.6275 LPIA | +10.8% |
| 2003 | 0.6471 LPIA | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 0.6498 LPIA | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 0.6688 LPIA | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 0.6749 LPIA | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 0.7059 LPIA | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 0.6753 LPIA | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 0.7308 LPIA | +8.2% |
| 2010 | 0.7273 LPIA | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 0.7277 LPIA | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 0.7674 LPIA | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 0.7522 LPIA | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 0.7603 LPIA | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 0.7821 LPIA | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 0.8158 LPIA | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 0.8407 LPIA | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 0.8172 LPIA | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 0.8291 LPIA | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 0.8591 LPIA | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 0.865 LPIA | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 0.8508 LPIA | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 0.8539 LPIA | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 0.8772 LPIA | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.3159 LPIA | 0.3159 LPIA | 0.3159 LPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.6607 LPIA | 0.5661 LPIA | 0.7308 LPIA | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.782 LPIA | 0.7273 LPIA | 0.8407 LPIA | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8612 LPIA | 0.8508 LPIA | 0.8772 LPIA | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.65 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate -1.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.0578 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 3.87 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -1.55 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.0612 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.22 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 287,310 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 13.45 % change on previous year (2015)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa?
- Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa was 0.8772 LPIA in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8772 LPIA in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3159 LPIA in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- South Africa ranks 62nd out of 99 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.4%. 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 primary education or higher, population 25+ years, male, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release