Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in South Africa
South Africa: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or was 47.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in South Africa stood at 47.8%.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in South Africa peaked at 51.0% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 8.8%, in 1985.
That places South Africa 83rd out of 140 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 11.6% | — |
| 1985 | 8.8% | -24.8% |
| 2001 | 28.9% | +229.9% |
| 2009 | 38.6% | +33.8% |
| 2010 | 39.9% | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 40.3% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 41.4% | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 42.2% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 41.9% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 42.2% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 43.5% | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 44.1% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 44.8% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 50.6% | +13.0% |
| 2021 | 51.0% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 46.1% | -9.6% |
| 2023 | 47.7% | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 47.8% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.6% | 11.6% | 11.6% | 1 |
| 1980s | 8.8% | 8.8% | 8.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 33.8% | 28.9% | 38.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 42.3% | 39.9% | 44.8% | 9 |
| 2020s | 48.6% | 46.1% | 51.0% | 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 upper secondary education or in South Africa?
- Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in South Africa was 47.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 51.0% in 2021.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.8% in 1985.
- How does South Africa rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
- South Africa ranks 83rd out of 140 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.3%. 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 upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release