Enrolment in secondary education, male (number) (secondary male) in South Africa
South Africa: Enrolment in secondary education, male (number) (secondary male) was 2.68 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2.68 million
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
23rd
of 218 countries
All-time high
2.68 million
in 2023
All-time low
1.19 million
in 1989
Years of data
28
1989–2023
Enrolment in secondary education, male in South Africa, 1989–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, enrolment in secondary education, male in South Africa stood at 2.68 million. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 12.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in secondary education, male in South Africa peaked at 2.68 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.19 million, in 1989.
South Africa ranks 23rd of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Enrolment in secondary education, male (number) (secondary male) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 1.19 million | — |
| 1990 | 1.27 million | +6.3% |
| 1991 | 1.35 million | +6.5% |
| 1994 | 1.66 million | +23.0% |
| 1998 | 1.99 million | +20.0% |
| 1999 | 2.00 million | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 1.97 million | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 2.03 million | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 2.16 million | +6.2% |
| 2004 | 2.23 million | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 2.27 million | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 2.34 million | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 2.36 million | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 2.30 million | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 2.30 million | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 2.29 million | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 2.33 million | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 2.37 million | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 2.51 million | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 2.68 million | +6.6% |
| 2016 | 2.46 million | -8.3% |
| 2017 | 2.41 million | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 2.37 million | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 2.46 million | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 2.46 million | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.59 million | +5.2% |
| 2022 | 2.60 million | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 2.68 million | +3.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 2.68 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 264,484, 10.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 2.68 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 450,121, 5.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.19 million | 1.19 million | 1.19 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 1.65 million | 1.27 million | 2.00 million | 5 |
| 2000s | 2.22 million | 1.97 million | 2.36 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 2.43 million | 2.29 million | 2.68 million | 9 |
| 2020s | 2.58 million | 2.46 million | 2.68 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 181,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 339,638 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,708 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in secondary education, male in South Africa?
- Enrolment in secondary education, male in South Africa was 2.68 million in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in secondary education, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.68 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest enrolment in secondary education, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.19 million in 1989.
- How does South Africa rank for enrolment in secondary education, male?
- South Africa ranks 23rd out of 218 countries with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in secondary education, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.9%. 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, male (number). 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