Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) in South Africa
South Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) was 444,590 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
444,590
Change on year
down 4.4%
World rank
40th
of 195 countries
All-time high
482,205
in 2018
All-time low
205,342
in 1988
Years of data
19
1988–2023
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in South Africa, 1988–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in South Africa stood at 444,590.
The figure is down 4.4% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in South Africa peaked at 482,205 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 205,342, in 1988.
South Africa ranks 40th of 195 countries on this measure, 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, male (number) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 205,342 | — |
| 1989 | 227,446 | +10.8% |
| 1990 | 243,964 | +7.3% |
| 1991 | 253,900 | +4.1% |
| 1992 | 262,400 | +3.3% |
| 1993 | 297,376 | +13.3% |
| 1994 | 321,053 | +8.0% |
| 2012 | 422,204 | +31.5% |
| 2013 | 433,524 | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 426,707 | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 439,708 | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 442,453 | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 463,141 | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 482,205 | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 474,665 | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 465,207 | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 449,645 | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 464,978 | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 444,590 | -4.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 444,590 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95,141, 4.7× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 444,590 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 54,788, 8.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 216,394 | 205,342 | 227,446 | 2 |
| 1990s | 275,739 | 243,964 | 321,053 | 5 |
| 2010s | 448,076 | 422,204 | 482,205 | 8 |
| 2020s | 456,105 | 444,590 | 465,207 | 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, male in South Africa?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in South Africa was 444,590 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 482,205 in 2018.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 205,342 in 1988.
- How does South Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male?
- South Africa ranks 40th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. 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 tertiary education, all programmes, male (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