Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education was 0.4405 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 0.4405 LPIA, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 14.0% on the previous year and up 80.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa peaked at 0.4461 LPIA in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.1774 LPIA, in 2005.
That places South Africa 51st out of 87 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 short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa, year by year
| Year | LPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.2306 LPIA | — |
| 2001 | 0.3476 LPIA | +50.7% |
| 2002 | 0.2108 LPIA | -39.4% |
| 2003 | 0.2187 LPIA | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 0.1955 LPIA | -10.6% |
| 2005 | 0.1774 LPIA | -9.2% |
| 2006 | 0.2117 LPIA | +19.3% |
| 2007 | 0.2027 LPIA | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 0.1821 LPIA | -10.2% |
| 2009 | 0.2179 LPIA | +19.6% |
| 2010 | 0.1801 LPIA | -17.3% |
| 2011 | 0.2196 LPIA | +21.9% |
| 2012 | 0.2315 LPIA | +5.4% |
| 2013 | 0.2975 LPIA | +28.5% |
| 2014 | 0.2444 LPIA | -17.8% |
| 2015 | 0.2573 LPIA | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 0.371 LPIA | +44.2% |
| 2017 | 0.2992 LPIA | -19.4% |
| 2018 | 0.3542 LPIA | +18.4% |
| 2019 | 0.3579 LPIA | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.401 LPIA | +12.0% |
| 2021 | 0.4461 LPIA | +11.3% |
| 2022 | 0.3386 LPIA | -24.1% |
| 2023 | 0.3865 LPIA | +14.1% |
| 2024 | 0.4405 LPIA | +14.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.2306 LPIA | 0.2306 LPIA | 0.2306 LPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.2183 LPIA | 0.1774 LPIA | 0.3476 LPIA | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.2813 LPIA | 0.1801 LPIA | 0.371 LPIA | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4025 LPIA | 0.3386 LPIA | 0.4461 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 0.4405 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 0.4461 LPIA in 2021.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1774 LPIA in 2005.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- South Africa ranks 51st out of 87 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 80.2%. 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 short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, female, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). 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