Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education was 0.4354 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
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa is 0.4354 LPIA, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 25.0% on the previous year and up 106.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa peaked at 0.4354 LPIA in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.1768 LPIA, in 2003.
That places South Africa 44th out of 91 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 | 0.2478 LPIA | — |
| 2001 | 0.3406 LPIA | +37.4% |
| 2002 | 0.2316 LPIA | -32.0% |
| 2003 | 0.1768 LPIA | -23.7% |
| 2004 | 0.1848 LPIA | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 0.2225 LPIA | +20.4% |
| 2006 | 0.2112 LPIA | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 0.225 LPIA | +6.5% |
| 2008 | 0.205 LPIA | -8.9% |
| 2009 | 0.2001 LPIA | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 0.2221 LPIA | +11.0% |
| 2011 | 0.2277 LPIA | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 0.1844 LPIA | -19.0% |
| 2013 | 0.2662 LPIA | +44.4% |
| 2014 | 0.2108 LPIA | -20.8% |
| 2015 | 0.2221 LPIA | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 0.2319 LPIA | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 0.3616 LPIA | +55.9% |
| 2019 | 0.3532 LPIA | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 0.4255 LPIA | +20.5% |
| 2021 | 0.4141 LPIA | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 0.3232 LPIA | -21.9% |
| 2023 | 0.3483 LPIA | +7.8% |
| 2024 | 0.4354 LPIA | +25.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.2478 LPIA | 0.2478 LPIA | 0.2478 LPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.222 LPIA | 0.1768 LPIA | 0.3406 LPIA | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.2533 LPIA | 0.1844 LPIA | 0.3616 LPIA | 9 |
| 2020s | 0.3893 LPIA | 0.3232 LPIA | 0.4354 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 0.4354 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 0.4354 LPIA in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1768 LPIA in 2003.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- South Africa ranks 44th out of 91 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 106.5%. 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, male, 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