Government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in South Africa
South Africa: Government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage was 1.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.2%
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
13th
of 122 countries
All-time high
1.4%
in 2021
All-time low
1.0%
in 2017
Years of data
9
2016–2024
Government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in South Africa, 2016–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.2% for government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in 2024.
The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in South Africa peaked at 1.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2017.
South Africa ranks 13th of 122 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1.0% | — |
| 2017 | 1.0% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | +9.3% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | +17.3% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | +6.7% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | -11.2% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 1.2% | +3.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%, 2.6× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.4%, 3.4× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 4 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 5 |
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 government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in South Africa?
- Government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in South Africa was 1.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2017.
- How does South Africa rank for government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage?
- South Africa ranks 13th out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.2%. 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 Government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release