Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher was 88.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa stood at 88.7%. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.7% on the previous year and up 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa peaked at 88.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 32.4%, in 1985.
That places South Africa 80th out of 135 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 35.6% | — |
| 1985 | 32.4% | -8.9% |
| 2001 | 60.3% | +86.1% |
| 2002 | 67.0% | +11.1% |
| 2003 | 68.7% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 70.0% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 70.0% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 70.9% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 72.3% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 72.0% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 75.9% | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 76.5% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 77.9% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 79.5% | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 79.1% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 80.6% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 80.9% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 81.2% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 84.8% | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 82.8% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 83.7% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 87.7% | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 87.0% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 85.8% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 86.4% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 88.7% | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 35.6% | 35.6% | 35.6% | 1 |
| 1980s | 32.4% | 32.4% | 32.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 69.7% | 60.3% | 75.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 80.7% | 76.5% | 84.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.2% | 85.8% | 88.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.82 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.68 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.97 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 818,404 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 3.28 % change on previous year (2023)
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 88.7% 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 88.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.4% in 1985.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- South Africa ranks 80th out of 135 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 10.1%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release