Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education was 0.4401 LPIA in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa stood at 0.4401 LPIA. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 18.5% on the previous year and up 93.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa peaked at 0.4401 LPIA in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.1885 LPIA, in 2004.
That places South Africa 48th out of 93 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa, year by year
| Year | LPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.2334 LPIA | — |
| 2001 | 0.3432 LPIA | +47.0% |
| 2002 | 0.2185 LPIA | -36.3% |
| 2003 | 0.1945 LPIA | -11.0% |
| 2004 | 0.1885 LPIA | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 0.1948 LPIA | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 0.2067 LPIA | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 0.209 LPIA | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 0.1907 LPIA | -8.8% |
| 2009 | 0.2087 LPIA | +9.4% |
| 2010 | 0.1987 LPIA | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 0.2221 LPIA | +11.8% |
| 2012 | 0.207 LPIA | -6.8% |
| 2013 | 0.2838 LPIA | +37.1% |
| 2014 | 0.228 LPIA | -19.7% |
| 2015 | 0.24 LPIA | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 0.2699 LPIA | +12.5% |
| 2018 | 0.3584 LPIA | +32.8% |
| 2019 | 0.3568 LPIA | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.4132 LPIA | +15.8% |
| 2021 | 0.4321 LPIA | +4.6% |
| 2022 | 0.3335 LPIA | -22.8% |
| 2023 | 0.3712 LPIA | +11.3% |
| 2024 | 0.4401 LPIA | +18.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.2334 LPIA | 0.2334 LPIA | 0.2334 LPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.2172 LPIA | 0.1885 LPIA | 0.3432 LPIA | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.2627 LPIA | 0.1987 LPIA | 0.3584 LPIA | 9 |
| 2020s | 0.398 LPIA | 0.3335 LPIA | 0.4401 LPIA | 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 0.4401 LPIA 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 0.4401 LPIA in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1885 LPIA in 2004.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- South Africa ranks 48th out of 93 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 93.0%. 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, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release