Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, male (number) in South Africa
South Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, male (number) 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 (number) 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% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 123,412 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13,662, 9.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 123,412 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4,931, 25.0× the median. (30 countries reporting)
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
- 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, 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