Gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: Gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes was 95.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa, 1991–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 95.3% for gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 97.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 70.8%, in 1999.
South Africa ranks 91st of 198 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 intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 82.2% | — |
| 1998 | 75.4% | -8.3% |
| 1999 | 70.8% | -6.2% |
| 2000 | 72.6% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 79.2% | +9.1% |
| 2003 | 83.5% | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 89.5% | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 91.3% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 90.3% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 92.4% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 93.0% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 92.7% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 95.2% | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 97.1% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 95.3% | -1.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 95.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.5%, 99% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 95.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70.7%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 76.1% | 70.8% | 82.2% | 3 |
| 2000s | 81.2% | 72.6% | 89.5% | 4 |
| 2010s | 91.8% | 90.3% | 93.0% | 4 |
| 2020s | 95.1% | 92.7% | 97.1% | 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 primary education, both sexes in South Africa?
- Gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes in South Africa was 95.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 97.1% in 2022.
- What is the lowest gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.8% in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 91st out of 198 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. 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 primary education, both sexes (%). 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