Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher was 93.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 93.3% for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa peaked at 93.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 54.5%, in 1970.
That places South Africa 58th out of 106 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 54.5% | — |
| 2001 | 75.0% | +37.7% |
| 2002 | 80.7% | +7.5% |
| 2003 | 82.7% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 83.1% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 81.4% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 82.0% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 82.5% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 84.0% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 86.5% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 86.8% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 87.4% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 88.2% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 88.1% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 88.7% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 88.9% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 88.6% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 90.9% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 90.0% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 90.3% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 92.8% | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 92.6% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 91.6% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 92.4% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 93.3% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 54.5% | 54.5% | 54.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 82.0% | 75.0% | 86.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 88.8% | 86.8% | 90.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 92.5% | 91.6% | 93.3% | 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 93.3% 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 93.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.5% in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- South Africa ranks 58th out of 106 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 5.2%. 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 primary education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, both sexes (%). 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