Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, female in South Africa
South Africa: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, female was 12,796 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, female in South Africa, 2012–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, female in South Africa is 12,796, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
The figure is up 4.5% on the previous year and up 82.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, female in South Africa peaked at 12,796 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6,132, in 2012.
South Africa ranks 30th of 142 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 6,132 | — |
| 2013 | 7,025 | +14.6% |
| 2014 | 7,897 | +12.4% |
| 2015 | 8,663 | +9.7% |
| 2016 | 9,589 | +10.7% |
| 2017 | 10,178 | +6.1% |
| 2018 | 10,796 | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 11,456 | +6.1% |
| 2020 | 11,351 | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 11,990 | +5.6% |
| 2022 | 12,241 | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 12,796 | +4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 8,967 | 6,132 | 11,456 | 8 |
| 2020s | 12,094 | 11,351 | 12,796 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 444,590 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) -4.38 % change on previous year (2023)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, female in South Africa?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, female in South Africa was 12,796 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 12,796 in 2023.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,132 in 2012.
- How does South Africa rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, female?
- South Africa ranks 30th out of 142 countries with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 82.1%. 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, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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