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 85.2% 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 85.2% for gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general in 2023.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general in South Africa peaked at 92.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 50.2%, in 1991.
That places South Africa 103rd out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 | 50.2% | — |
| 2000 | 59.6% | +18.7% |
| 2002 | 77.6% | +30.1% |
| 2003 | 66.5% | -14.3% |
| 2004 | 64.7% | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 77.0% | +19.0% |
| 2018 | 78.8% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 79.0% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 81.8% | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 92.3% | +12.8% |
| 2022 | 83.6% | -9.5% |
| 2023 | 85.2% | +2.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 85.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 89.0%, 96% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 85.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.8%, 1.9× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 50.2% | 50.2% | 50.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 67.1% | 59.6% | 77.6% | 4 |
| 2010s | 78.3% | 77.0% | 79.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 85.7% | 81.8% | 92.3% | 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 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 85.2% 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 92.3% 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 50.2% in 1991.
- How does South Africa rank for gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary general?
- South Africa ranks 103rd 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 10.7%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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