Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) in South Africa
South Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) was 695,479 number in 2018. ▲ Rising
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in South Africa, 1988–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 695,479 number for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in 2018. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is up 6.5% on the previous year and up 19.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female in South Africa peaked at 695,479 number in 2018 and was at its lowest, 173,389 number, in 1988.
South Africa ranks 33rd of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 173,389 number | — |
| 1989 | 193,706 number | +11.7% |
| 1990 | 195,043 number | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 213,229 number | +9.3% |
| 1992 | 227,712 number | +6.8% |
| 1993 | 255,572 number | +12.2% |
| 1994 | 296,844 number | +16.1% |
| 2012 | 583,517 number | +96.6% |
| 2013 | 602,070 number | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 591,836 number | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 611,152 number | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 611,154 number | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 652,876 number | +6.8% |
| 2018 | 695,479 number | +6.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 695,479 number is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 141,679 number, 4.9× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 695,479 number is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31,840 number, 21.8× 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 number | 583,517 number |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 183,548 number | 173,389 number | 193,706 number | 2 |
| 1990s | 237,680 number | 195,043 number | 296,844 number | 5 |
| 2010s | 621,155 number | 583,517 number | 695,479 number | 7 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 94.05 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 93.94 (2023)
- 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)
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 695,479 number in 2018, 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 695,479 number in 2018.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 173,389 number in 1988.
- How does South Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female?
- South Africa ranks 33rd out of 187 countries with data for 2018.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.2%. 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 — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The total number of female students enrolled at public and private tertiary education institutions.