Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education was 19.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa stood at 19.4%. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 27.8% on the previous year and up 98.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa peaked at 19.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 1970.
That places South Africa 71st out of 102 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6.0% | — |
| 2002 | 7.8% | +29.4% |
| 2003 | 9.0% | +15.2% |
| 2004 | 7.7% | -14.1% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | -17.1% |
| 2006 | 6.3% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 6.5% | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 6.6% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 8.3% | +24.2% |
| 2010 | 9.0% | +9.4% |
| 2011 | 8.8% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 9.4% | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 14.4% | +53.4% |
| 2014 | 9.8% | -32.3% |
| 2015 | 10.6% | +9.1% |
| 2017 | 15.2% | +42.7% |
| 2018 | 14.2% | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 14.6% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 13.8% | -5.6% |
| 2021 | 18.9% | +37.1% |
| 2022 | 14.5% | -23.4% |
| 2023 | 15.1% | +4.4% |
| 2024 | 19.4% | +27.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.0% | 6.0% | 6.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 7.3% | 6.3% | 9.0% | 8 |
| 2010s | 11.8% | 8.8% | 15.2% | 9 |
| 2020s | 16.3% | 13.8% | 19.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 68 Brunei Darussalam 20.6% compare
- 69 Thailand 20.3% compare
- 70 Bosnia and Herzegovina 20.2% compare
- 72 Mali 19.1% compare
- 73 Bangladesh 18.7% compare
- 74 Ecuador 18.6% compare
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 19.4% 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 19.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- South Africa ranks 71st out of 102 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 98.3%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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