Initial government funding per tertiary student, constant PPP$ in South Africa

South Africa: Initial government funding per tertiary student, constant PPP$ was 9,131 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
9,131
Change on year
down 9.8%
World rank
40th
of 119 countries
All-time high
10,124
in 2023
All-time low
5,216
in 2016
Years of data
12
2013–2024

Initial government funding per tertiary student, constant PPP$ in South Africa, 2013–2024

02.5k5.0k7.5k10.0k2013201820242013: 5.7k2014: 5.6k2015: 5.9k2016: 5.2k2017: 6.8k2018: 6.9k2019: 8.0k2020: 9.0k2021: 9.3k2022: 10.1k2023: 10.1k2024: 9.1k

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for initial government funding per tertiary student, constant ppp$ in South Africa is 9,131, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of down 9.8% on the previous year and up 62.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, initial government funding per tertiary student, constant ppp$ in South Africa peaked at 10,124 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5,216, in 2016.

South Africa ranks 40th of 119 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.

Initial government funding per tertiary student, constant PPP$ in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Initial government funding per tertiary student, constant PPP$ in South Africa, 2013 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2013 5,687
2014 5,605 -1.4%
2015 5,898 +5.2%
2016 5,216 -11.6%
2017 6,797 +30.3%
2018 6,949 +2.2%
2019 8,006 +15.2%
2020 9,042 +12.9%
2021 9,304 +2.9%
2022 10,109 +8.7%
2023 10,124 +0.1%
2024 9,131 -9.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 6,308 5,216 8,006 7
2020s 9,542 9,042 10,124 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 37 Belarus 9,859 compare
  2. 38 Lithuania 9,858 compare
  3. 39 Portugal 9,287 compare
  4. 41 Republic of Korea 9,080 compare
  5. 42 Türkiye 9,049 compare
  6. 43 Barbados 8,633

See the full ranking of 119 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is initial government funding per tertiary student, constant ppp$ in South Africa?
Initial government funding per tertiary student, constant ppp$ in South Africa was 9,131 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest initial government funding per tertiary student, constant ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 10,124 in 2023.
What is the lowest initial government funding per tertiary student, constant ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 5,216 in 2016.
How does South Africa rank for initial government funding per tertiary student, constant ppp$?
South Africa ranks 40th out of 119 countries with data for 2024.
Is initial government funding per tertiary student, constant ppp$ rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 62.9%. 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, constant PPP$. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Initial government funding per tertiary student, constant PPP$ in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/initial-government-funding-per-tertiary-student-constant-ppp-2/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Initial government funding per tertiary student, constant PPP$
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
119 places, 1,703 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release