Gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, female in South Africa
South Africa: Gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, female was 84.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, female in South Africa, 1989–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, female in South Africa stood at 84.3%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, female in South Africa peaked at 84.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 70.8%, in 1989.
South Africa ranks 95th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 70.8% | — |
| 1990 | 72.0% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 73.6% | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 79.5% | +8.0% |
| 2012 | 76.1% | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 80.5% | +5.8% |
| 2015 | 81.0% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 82.3% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 81.8% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 81.5% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 82.5% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 82.0% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 84.0% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 84.3% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 84.3% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 70.8% | 70.8% | 70.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 75.0% | 72.0% | 79.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 80.8% | 76.1% | 82.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 83.7% | 82.0% | 84.3% | 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, primary to tertiary, female in South Africa?
- Gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, female in South Africa was 84.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 84.3% in 2023.
- What is the lowest gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.8% in 1989.
- How does South Africa rank for gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, female?
- South Africa ranks 95th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.9%. 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, primary to tertiary, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release