Enrolment in secondary education, female in South Africa

South Africa: Enrolment in secondary education, female was 2.51 million number in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
2.51 million number
Change on year
down 4.1%
World rank
20th
of 203 countries
All-time high
2.71 million number
in 2014
All-time low
1.36 million number
in 1989
Years of data
24
1989–2018

Enrolment in secondary education, female in South Africa, 1989–2018

01.0M2.0M3.0M1989200320181989: 1.4M number1990: 1.5M number1991: 1.6M number1994: 1.9M number1998: 2.3M number1999: 2.2M number2000: 2.2M number2001: 2.2M number2002: 2.3M number2003: 2.3M number2004: 2.4M number2005: 2.4M number2006: 2.5M number2007: 2.5M number2008: 2.4M number2009: 2.4M number2010: 2.4M number2011: 2.4M number2012: 2.5M number2014: 2.7M number2015: 2.6M number2016: 2.7M number2017: 2.6M number2018: 2.5M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 2.51 million number for enrolment in secondary education, female in 2018.

That represents a change of down 4.1% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in secondary education, female in South Africa peaked at 2.71 million number in 2014 and was at its lowest, 1.36 million number, in 1989.

South Africa ranks 20th of 203 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Enrolment in secondary education, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in secondary education, female (number) in South Africa, 1989 to 2018.
Year number Change
1989 1.36 million number
1990 1.47 million number +8.5%
1991 1.59 million number +7.8%
1994 1.91 million number +20.3%
1998 2.25 million number +17.8%
1999 2.24 million number -0.4%
2000 2.17 million number -3.2%
2001 2.22 million number +2.2%
2002 2.25 million number +1.5%
2003 2.29 million number +1.7%
2004 2.37 million number +3.4%
2005 2.39 million number +1.1%
2006 2.46 million number +2.6%
2007 2.46 million number +0.0%
2008 2.37 million number -3.3%
2009 2.39 million number +0.8%
2010 2.40 million number +0.3%
2011 2.43 million number +1.2%
2012 2.47 million number +1.9%
2014 2.71 million number +9.6%
2015 2.60 million number -4.0%
2016 2.68 million number +3.0%
2017 2.61 million number -2.6%
2018 2.51 million number -4.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.36 million number 1.36 million number 1.36 million number 1
1990s 1.89 million number 1.47 million number 2.25 million number 5
2000s 2.34 million number 2.17 million number 2.46 million number 10
2010s 2.55 million number 2.40 million number 2.71 million number 8

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 17 France 2.99 million number compare
  2. 18 Thailand 2.88 million number compare
  3. 19 Iran, Islamic Republic of 2.73 million number compare
  4. 21 Ethiopia 2.44 million number compare
  5. 22 Colombia 2.42 million number compare
  6. 23 Argentina 2.31 million number compare

See the full ranking of 248 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in secondary education, female in South Africa?
Enrolment in secondary education, female in South Africa was 2.51 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in secondary education, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2.71 million number in 2014.
What is the lowest enrolment in secondary education, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 1.36 million number in 1989.
How does South Africa rank for enrolment in secondary education, female?
South Africa ranks 20th out of 203 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in secondary education, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. 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 Enrolment in secondary education, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in secondary education, female in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-secondary-education-female-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in secondary education, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
248 places, 8,239 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of female students enrolled at public and private secondary education institutions regardless of age.