Gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general in South Africa
South Africa: Gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general was 91.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general in South Africa, 1991–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 91.4% for gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general in South Africa peaked at 95.2% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 62.5%, in 1991.
South Africa ranks 95th of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 62.5% | — |
| 2000 | 68.0% | +8.8% |
| 2002 | 82.9% | +21.9% |
| 2003 | 73.5% | -11.3% |
| 2004 | 71.6% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 84.2% | +17.5% |
| 2018 | 86.9% | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 87.2% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 91.6% | +5.0% |
| 2021 | 95.2% | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 90.3% | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 91.4% | +1.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 91.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 91.4%, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 91.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 49.1%, 1.9× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 62.5% | 62.5% | 62.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 74.0% | 68.0% | 82.9% | 4 |
| 2010s | 86.1% | 84.2% | 87.2% | 3 |
| 2020s | 92.1% | 90.3% | 95.2% | 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 intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general in South Africa?
- Gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general in South Africa was 91.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 95.2% in 2021.
- What is the lowest gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.5% in 1991.
- How does South Africa rank for gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general?
- South Africa ranks 95th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. 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 intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general education, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release