Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education was 17.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 17.3% for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in 2024. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 31.8% on the previous year and up 142.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa peaked at 17.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1980.
South Africa ranks 84th of 129 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.7% | — |
| 1980 | 1.4% | -63.0% |
| 1985 | 2.3% | +69.8% |
| 2000 | 4.4% | +91.8% |
| 2001 | 4.3% | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 4.8% | +10.8% |
| 2003 | 5.5% | +15.4% |
| 2004 | 4.9% | -10.5% |
| 2005 | 4.2% | -14.6% |
| 2006 | 4.2% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 4.4% | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 4.7% | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 5.8% | +25.4% |
| 2010 | 6.2% | +6.1% |
| 2011 | 6.1% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 6.5% | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 11.3% | +75.2% |
| 2014 | 7.1% | -36.9% |
| 2015 | 7.8% | +9.5% |
| 2016 | 9.8% | +25.7% |
| 2017 | 11.8% | +20.4% |
| 2018 | 11.9% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 12.2% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 12.1% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 15.7% | +29.7% |
| 2022 | 12.4% | -21.3% |
| 2023 | 13.1% | +6.1% |
| 2024 | 17.3% | +31.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 1 |
| 1980s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.7% | 4.2% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.1% | 6.1% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.1% | 12.1% | 17.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 67.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 25.7% (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 17.3% 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 17.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1980.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- South Africa ranks 84th 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 142.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release