Enrolment in upper secondary education, female in South Africa

South Africa: Enrolment in upper secondary education, female was 1.50 million number in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
1.50 million number
Change on year
down 6.7%
World rank
14th
of 188 countries
All-time high
1.67 million number
in 2016
All-time low
1.18 million number
in 2000
Years of data
19
1998–2018

Enrolment in upper secondary education, female in South Africa, 1998–2018

0500.0k1.0M1.5M1998200820181998: 1.3M number1999: 1.2M number2000: 1.2M number2001: 1.2M number2002: 1.2M number2003: 1.3M number2004: 1.4M number2005: 1.4M number2006: 1.5M number2007: 1.5M number2008: 1.5M number2009: 1.4M number2010: 1.4M number2011: 1.4M number2012: 1.5M number2015: 1.6M number2016: 1.7M number2017: 1.6M number2018: 1.5M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for enrolment in upper secondary education, female in South Africa is 1.50 million number, measured in 2018.

The figure is down 6.7% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in upper secondary education, female in South Africa peaked at 1.67 million number in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.18 million number, in 2000.

That places South Africa 14th out of 188 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Enrolment in upper secondary education, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in upper secondary education, female (number) in South Africa, 1998 to 2018.
Year number Change
1998 1.25 million number
1999 1.23 million number -1.7%
2000 1.18 million number -4.1%
2001 1.20 million number +1.4%
2002 1.22 million number +1.5%
2003 1.33 million number +9.2%
2004 1.38 million number +4.1%
2005 1.39 million number +0.4%
2006 1.45 million number +4.7%
2007 1.52 million number +4.6%
2008 1.47 million number -3.4%
2009 1.43 million number -2.6%
2010 1.39 million number -2.7%
2011 1.41 million number +0.9%
2012 1.45 million number +3.3%
2015 1.59 million number +9.5%
2016 1.67 million number +5.2%
2017 1.61 million number -3.7%
2018 1.50 million number -6.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.24 million number 1.23 million number 1.25 million number 2
2000s 1.36 million number 1.18 million number 1.52 million number 10
2010s 1.52 million number 1.39 million number 1.67 million number 7

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 11 Egypt 1.93 million number compare
  2. 12 United Kingdom 1.79 million number compare
  3. 13 Japan 1.76 million number compare
  4. 15 Thailand 1.46 million number compare
  5. 16 Philippines 1.45 million number compare
  6. 17 Italy 1.37 million number compare

See the full ranking of 233 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in upper secondary education, female in South Africa?
Enrolment in upper secondary education, female in South Africa was 1.50 million number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in upper secondary education, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.67 million number in 2016.
What is the lowest enrolment in upper secondary education, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 1.18 million number in 2000.
How does South Africa rank for enrolment in upper secondary education, female?
South Africa ranks 14th out of 188 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in upper secondary education, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. 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 upper secondary education, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in upper secondary education, female in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-upper-secondary-education-female-number/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in upper secondary education, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
233 places, 4,401 data points, 1980–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of female students enrolled in public and private upper secondary education institutions regardless of age.