Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in South Africa

South Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes was 23,730 number in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
23,730 number
Change on year
up 4.8%
World rank
29th
of 133 countries
All-time high
23,730 number
in 2018
All-time low
14,020 number
in 2012
Years of data
7
2012–2018

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in South Africa, 2012–2018

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k25.0k2012201520182012: 14.0k number2013: 16.1k number2014: 18.0k number2015: 19.5k number2016: 21.6k number2017: 22.6k number2018: 23.7k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2018, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in South Africa stood at 23,730 number. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

The figure is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 69.3% over ten years.

That places South Africa 29th out of 133 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes (number) in South Africa, 2012 to 2018.
Year number Change
2012 14,020 number
2013 16,067 number +14.6%
2014 17,974 number +11.9%
2015 19,547 number +8.8%
2016 21,560 number +10.3%
2017 22,636 number +5.0%
2018 23,730 number +4.8%

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 26 Ukraine 24,751 number compare
  2. 27 Thailand 24,742 number compare
  3. 28 Philippines 23,827 number compare
  4. 30 Czechia 22,457 number compare
  5. 31 Pakistan 22,147 number compare
  6. 32 Austria 20,396 number compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in South Africa?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in South Africa was 23,730 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 23,730 number in 2018.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 14,020 number in 2012.
How does South Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes?
South Africa ranks 29th out of 133 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 69.3%. 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, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-8-programmes-both-sexes-number/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-8-programmes-both-sexes-number/south-africa/">Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
178 places, 2,921 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in public and private tertiary education institutions in programmes on the doctoral or equivalent (ISCED 8) level.