Gross enrolment ratio, upper secondary, female in South Africa
South Africa: Gross enrolment ratio, upper secondary, female was 111.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Gross enrolment ratio, upper secondary, female in South Africa, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 111.3% for gross enrolment ratio, upper secondary, female in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% on the previous year and up 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross enrolment ratio, upper secondary, female in South Africa peaked at 116.5% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 70.7%, in 2002.
South Africa ranks 28th of 195 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Gross enrolment ratio, upper secondary, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 86.2% | — |
| 1999 | 81.6% | -5.4% |
| 2000 | 74.6% | -8.6% |
| 2001 | 72.0% | -3.5% |
| 2002 | 70.7% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 75.9% | +7.3% |
| 2004 | 78.8% | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 79.6% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 84.5% | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 90.2% | +6.7% |
| 2008 | 88.4% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 87.4% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 85.6% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 88.3% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 91.8% | +3.9% |
| 2015 | 103.9% | +13.1% |
| 2016 | 111.1% | +6.9% |
| 2017 | 111.5% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 104.2% | -6.6% |
| 2019 | 108.3% | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 110.0% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 116.5% | +5.9% |
| 2022 | 113.8% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 111.3% | -2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 83.9% | 81.6% | 86.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 80.2% | 70.7% | 90.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 100.6% | 85.6% | 111.5% | 8 |
| 2020s | 112.9% | 110.0% | 116.5% | 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, upper secondary, female in South Africa?
- Gross enrolment ratio, upper secondary, female in South Africa was 111.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gross enrolment ratio, upper secondary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 116.5% in 2021.
- What is the lowest gross enrolment ratio, upper secondary, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.7% in 2002.
- How does South Africa rank for gross enrolment ratio, upper secondary, female?
- South Africa ranks 28th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gross enrolment ratio, upper secondary, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.2%. 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, upper secondary, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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