Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education was 16.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa is 16.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 31.7% on the previous year and up 112.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa peaked at 16.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 1985.
That places South Africa 79th out of 129 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.3% | — |
| 1985 | 3.1% | -27.2% |
| 2000 | 5.2% | +68.3% |
| 2001 | 5.0% | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 5.7% | +13.1% |
| 2003 | 6.5% | +13.1% |
| 2004 | 5.6% | -14.0% |
| 2005 | 5.0% | -9.4% |
| 2006 | 4.9% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 5.1% | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 5.1% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 6.3% | +22.6% |
| 2010 | 6.9% | +9.9% |
| 2011 | 6.7% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 7.1% | +6.4% |
| 2013 | 11.4% | +60.2% |
| 2014 | 7.6% | -33.8% |
| 2015 | 8.3% | +9.5% |
| 2016 | 9.8% | +18.0% |
| 2017 | 11.7% | +19.3% |
| 2018 | 11.6% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 11.9% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 11.5% | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 15.6% | +35.4% |
| 2022 | 11.6% | -25.2% |
| 2023 | 12.2% | +5.0% |
| 2024 | 16.1% | +31.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% | 1 |
| 1980s | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 5.4% | 4.9% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.3% | 6.7% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.4% | 11.5% | 16.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 287,310 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
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 16.1% 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 16.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 1985.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- South Africa ranks 79th out of 129 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 112.4%. 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 (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release