Gross enrolment ratio, lower secondary, female in South Africa
South Africa: Gross enrolment ratio, lower secondary, female was 102.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Gross enrolment ratio, lower secondary, female in South Africa, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 102.0% for gross enrolment ratio, lower secondary, female in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross enrolment ratio, lower secondary, female in South Africa peaked at 109.1% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 82.8%, in 2003.
That places South Africa 63rd out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Gross enrolment ratio, lower secondary, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 90.9% | — |
| 1999 | 88.3% | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 84.5% | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 86.5% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 88.1% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 82.8% | -6.0% |
| 2004 | 86.2% | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 90.0% | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 90.9% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 85.7% | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 83.7% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 91.2% | +8.9% |
| 2010 | 96.3% | +5.7% |
| 2011 | 97.6% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 101.1% | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 105.6% | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 107.4% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 109.1% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 107.6% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 106.5% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 106.3% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 103.6% | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 101.5% | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 102.0% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 89.6% | 88.3% | 90.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 87.0% | 82.8% | 91.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 103.9% | 96.3% | 109.1% | 8 |
| 2020s | 103.4% | 101.5% | 106.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross enrolment ratio, lower secondary, female in South Africa?
- Gross enrolment ratio, lower secondary, female in South Africa was 102.0% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gross enrolment ratio, lower secondary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 109.1% in 2017.
- What is the lowest gross enrolment ratio, lower secondary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 82.8% in 2003.
- How does South Africa rank for gross enrolment ratio, lower secondary, female?
- South Africa ranks 63rd out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gross enrolment ratio, lower secondary, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. 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, lower secondary, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release