Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher was 90.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa is 90.0%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in South Africa peaked at 90.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 34.9%, in 1985.
South Africa ranks 83rd of 134 countries on this measure, 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 | 37.3% | — |
| 1985 | 34.9% | -6.5% |
| 2001 | 64.5% | +84.8% |
| 2002 | 70.6% | +9.4% |
| 2003 | 73.3% | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 73.2% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 74.8% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 75.4% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 76.2% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 77.1% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 80.4% | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 80.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 80.4% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 82.9% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 82.8% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 83.1% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 84.0% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 84.1% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 87.0% | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 85.9% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 86.2% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 89.3% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 89.0% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 88.3% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 88.9% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 90.0% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 37.3% | 37.3% | 37.3% | 1 |
| 1980s | 34.9% | 34.9% | 34.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 73.9% | 64.5% | 80.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 83.7% | 80.4% | 87.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 89.1% | 88.3% | 90.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.19 million (2023)
- 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)
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 90.0% 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 90.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.9% in 1985.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- South Africa ranks 83rd out of 134 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 8.3%. 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 (%). 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