Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, female in South Africa
South Africa: Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, female was 29.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, female in South Africa, 1988–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 29.8% for gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, female in 2023. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 36.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, female in South Africa peaked at 29.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 9.8%, in 1988.
South Africa ranks 122nd of 189 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 9.8% | — |
| 1989 | 10.7% | +8.7% |
| 1990 | 10.4% | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 11.1% | +6.7% |
| 1992 | 11.8% | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 12.7% | +8.1% |
| 1994 | 15.9% | +25.0% |
| 2012 | 21.1% | +33.0% |
| 2013 | 21.9% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 21.7% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 22.4% | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 22.3% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 24.9% | +11.3% |
| 2018 | 26.5% | +6.7% |
| 2019 | 26.6% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 27.6% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 27.6% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 29.7% | +7.6% |
| 2023 | 29.8% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.2% | 9.8% | 10.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 12.4% | 10.4% | 15.9% | 5 |
| 2010s | 23.4% | 21.1% | 26.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 28.7% | 27.6% | 29.8% | 4 |
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 gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, female in South Africa?
- Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, female in South Africa was 29.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 29.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.8% in 1988.
- How does South Africa rank for gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, female?
- South Africa ranks 122nd out of 189 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.2%. 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 Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release