Initial government funding per secondary student as a percentage of in South Africa
South Africa: Initial government funding per secondary student as a percentage of was 22.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Initial government funding per secondary student as a percentage of in South Africa, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for initial government funding per secondary student as a percentage of in South Africa is 22.8%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 27.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government funding per secondary student as a percentage of in South Africa peaked at 25.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 14.3%, in 2008.
That places South Africa 29th out of 115 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Initial government funding per secondary student as a percentage of in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 19.4% | — |
| 2000 | 17.0% | -12.7% |
| 2001 | 16.4% | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 15.9% | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 16.9% | +6.5% |
| 2004 | 17.5% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 15.7% | -10.3% |
| 2006 | 15.0% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 15.6% | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 14.3% | -8.7% |
| 2009 | 16.1% | +12.7% |
| 2010 | 17.8% | +10.8% |
| 2011 | 19.7% | +10.6% |
| 2012 | 19.5% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 17.9% | -8.3% |
| 2015 | 17.9% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 17.9% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 18.3% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 19.8% | +8.5% |
| 2019 | 21.1% | +6.8% |
| 2020 | 24.3% | +15.1% |
| 2021 | 25.8% | +6.0% |
| 2022 | 22.7% | -11.9% |
| 2023 | 22.5% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 22.8% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.4% | 19.4% | 19.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 16.0% | 14.3% | 17.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 17.8% | 21.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 23.6% | 22.5% | 25.8% | 5 |
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 initial government funding per secondary student as a percentage of in South Africa?
- Initial government funding per secondary student as a percentage of in South Africa was 22.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government funding per secondary student as a percentage of recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 25.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest initial government funding per secondary student as a percentage of recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.3% in 2008.
- How does South Africa rank for initial government funding per secondary student as a percentage of?
- South Africa ranks 29th out of 115 countries with data for 2024.
- Is initial government funding per secondary student as a percentage of rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.3%. 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 secondary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release