Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education was 1.14 GPIA in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.14 GPIA for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in 2024. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 24.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa peaked at 1.14 GPIA in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.7275 GPIA, in 2002.
South Africa ranks 28th of 99 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.845 GPIA | — |
| 2002 | 0.7275 GPIA | -13.9% |
| 2003 | 0.7436 GPIA | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 0.8211 GPIA | +10.4% |
| 2005 | 0.7518 GPIA | -8.4% |
| 2006 | 0.759 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 0.7898 GPIA | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 0.9012 GPIA | +14.1% |
| 2009 | 0.91 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 0.8587 GPIA | -5.6% |
| 2011 | 0.8797 GPIA | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 0.8374 GPIA | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 1 GPIA | +19.6% |
| 2014 | 0.9158 GPIA | -8.6% |
| 2015 | 0.9164 GPIA | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 1.03 GPIA | +12.6% |
| 2018 | 1.08 GPIA | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 1.08 GPIA | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 1.12 GPIA | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 1.03 GPIA | -8.4% |
| 2022 | 1.12 GPIA | +9.3% |
| 2023 | 1.12 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 1.14 GPIA | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.845 GPIA | 0.845 GPIA | 0.845 GPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.8005 GPIA | 0.7275 GPIA | 0.91 GPIA | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.9549 GPIA | 0.8374 GPIA | 1.08 GPIA | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.11 GPIA | 1.03 GPIA | 1.14 GPIA | 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 short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa was 1.14 GPIA in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.14 GPIA in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7275 GPIA in 2002.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- South Africa ranks 28th out of 99 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.1%. 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 short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release