Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) in South Africa
South Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) was 748,573 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in South Africa, 1988–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in South Africa stood at 748,573.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and up 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in South Africa peaked at 759,402 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 173,389, in 1988.
That places South Africa 34th out of 195 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 173,389 | — |
| 1989 | 193,706 | +11.7% |
| 1990 | 195,043 | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 213,229 | +9.3% |
| 1992 | 227,712 | +6.8% |
| 1993 | 255,572 | +12.2% |
| 1994 | 296,844 | +16.1% |
| 2012 | 583,517 | +96.6% |
| 2013 | 602,070 | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 591,836 | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 611,152 | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 611,154 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 652,876 | +6.8% |
| 2018 | 695,479 | +6.5% |
| 2019 | 697,930 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 719,008 | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 712,765 | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 759,402 | +6.5% |
| 2023 | 748,573 | -1.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 748,573 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 147,656, 5.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 748,573 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 40,177, 18.6× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +96.6% | 296,844 | 583,517 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 183,548 | 173,389 | 193,706 | 2 |
| 1990s | 237,680 | 195,043 | 296,844 | 5 |
| 2010s | 630,752 | 583,517 | 697,930 | 8 |
| 2020s | 734,937 | 712,765 | 759,402 | 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 tertiary education, all programmes, female in South Africa?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in South Africa was 748,573 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 759,402 in 2022.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 173,389 in 1988.
- How does South Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female?
- South Africa ranks 34th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.3%. 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 Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release