Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in South Africa
South Africa: Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of was 62.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in South Africa, 2013–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 62.3% for initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.2% on the previous year and up 74.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in South Africa peaked at 68.8% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 33.4%, in 2016.
That places South Africa 22nd out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 36.4% | — |
| 2014 | 35.6% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 37.6% | +5.5% |
| 2016 | 33.4% | -10.9% |
| 2017 | 43.7% | +30.7% |
| 2018 | 44.5% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 51.3% | +15.4% |
| 2020 | 58.7% | +14.5% |
| 2021 | 65.5% | +11.5% |
| 2022 | 68.8% | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 68.6% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 62.3% | -9.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 40.3% | 33.4% | 51.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 64.8% | 58.7% | 68.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 19 Seychelles 64.4%
- 20 Mauritania 62.9% compare
- 21 Côte d'Ivoire 62.4% compare
- 23 Togo 60.7% compare
- 24 Benin 57.1%
- 25 India 56.7% 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 tertiary student as a percentage of in South Africa?
- Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in South Africa was 62.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 68.8% in 2022.
- What is the lowest initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.4% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of?
- South Africa ranks 22nd out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 74.9%. 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 tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. 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