Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, male in South Africa
South Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, male was 123,412 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, male in South Africa, 2012–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male in South Africa stood at 123,412.
That represents a change of up 12.2% on the previous year and down 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male in South Africa peaked at 151,500 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 109,954, in 2022.
South Africa ranks 25th of 146 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 147,613 | — |
| 2013 | 143,397 | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 141,445 | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 143,625 | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 139,118 | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 146,924 | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 151,500 | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 143,056 | -5.6% |
| 2020 | 139,009 | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 130,332 | -6.2% |
| 2022 | 109,954 | -15.6% |
| 2023 | 123,412 | +12.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 144,585 | 139,118 | 151,500 | 8 |
| 2020s | 125,677 | 109,954 | 139,009 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.68 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.97 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 818,404 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 3.28 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.19 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -2.55 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 225,583 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 61,727 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 748,573 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -1.43 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male in South Africa?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male in South Africa was 123,412 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 151,500 in 2018.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 109,954 in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male?
- South Africa ranks 25th out of 146 countries with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release