Average years of schooling, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa
South Africa: Average years of schooling, adjusted gender parity index was 0.9788 index in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in index.
Analysis
In 2023, average years of schooling, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa stood at 0.9788 index.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa peaked at 0.9817 index in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.9263 index, in 1985.
South Africa ranks 67th of 121 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Average years of schooling, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa, year by year
| Year | index | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.928 index | — |
| 1985 | 0.9263 index | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 0.9339 index | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 0.9424 index | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 0.9316 index | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 0.9512 index | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 0.9326 index | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 0.9341 index | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 0.9413 index | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 0.9332 index | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 0.9459 index | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 0.9466 index | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 0.964 index | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 0.9557 index | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 0.9641 index | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 0.9604 index | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 0.9748 index | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 0.9817 index | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 0.9802 index | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 0.9788 index | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.928 index | 0.928 index | 0.928 index | 1 |
| 1980s | 0.9263 index | 0.9263 index | 0.9263 index | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.9385 index | 0.9316 index | 0.9512 index | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.9609 index | 0.9466 index | 0.9748 index | 6 |
| 2020s | 0.9802 index | 0.9788 index | 0.9817 index | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.65 million (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa?
- Average years of schooling, adjusted gender parity index in South Africa was 0.9788 index in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling, adjusted gender parity index recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.9817 index in 2020.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling, adjusted gender parity index recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9263 index in 1985.
- How does South Africa rank for average years of schooling, adjusted gender parity index?
- South Africa ranks 67th out of 121 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling, adjusted gender parity index rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling, adjusted gender parity index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
An adjusted gender parity index of 1 indicates equal average years of schooling between men and women. Values below 1 favor men, and above 1 favor women.