Initial government funding per lower secondary student as a in South Africa
South Africa: Initial government funding per lower secondary student as a was 21.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Initial government funding per lower secondary student as a in South Africa, 2016–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 21.3% for initial government funding per lower secondary student as a in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and up 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government funding per lower secondary student as a in South Africa peaked at 23.0% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 19.2%, in 2016.
That places South Africa 32nd out of 103 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Initial government funding per lower secondary student as a in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 19.2% | — |
| 2017 | 19.7% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 19.8% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 20.0% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 22.7% | +13.7% |
| 2021 | 23.0% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 21.7% | -5.4% |
| 2023 | 21.6% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 21.3% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 19.7% | 19.2% | 20.0% | 4 |
| 2020s | 22.1% | 21.3% | 23.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 29 Republic of Moldova 22.0% compare
- 30 Thailand 21.9%
- 31 Luxembourg 21.6% compare
- 33 Saint Lucia 21.3% compare
- 34 Dominica 20.8% compare
- 35 Uruguay 20.7% compare
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 initial government funding per lower secondary student as a in South Africa?
- Initial government funding per lower secondary student as a in South Africa was 21.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government funding per lower secondary student as a recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 23.0% in 2021.
- What is the lowest initial government funding per lower secondary student as a recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.2% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for initial government funding per lower secondary student as a?
- South Africa ranks 32nd out of 103 countries with data for 2024.
- Is initial government funding per lower secondary student as a rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.2%. 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 Initial government funding per lower secondary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release