Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in South Africa
South Africa: Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years was 0.9788 GPIA in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
0.9788 GPIA
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
67th
of 121 countries
All-time high
0.9817 GPIA
in 2020
All-time low
0.9263 GPIA
in 1985
Years of data
20
1970–2023
Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in South Africa, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
In 2023, mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in South Africa stood at 0.9788 GPIA.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in South Africa peaked at 0.9817 GPIA in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.9263 GPIA, in 1985.
South Africa ranks 67th of 121 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.928 GPIA | — |
| 1985 | 0.9263 GPIA | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 0.9339 GPIA | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 0.9424 GPIA | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 0.9316 GPIA | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 0.9512 GPIA | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 0.9326 GPIA | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 0.9341 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 0.9413 GPIA | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 0.9332 GPIA | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 0.9459 GPIA | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 0.9466 GPIA | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 0.964 GPIA | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 0.9557 GPIA | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 0.9641 GPIA | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 0.9604 GPIA | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 0.9748 GPIA | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 0.9817 GPIA | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 0.9802 GPIA | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 0.9788 GPIA | -0.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.9788 GPIA is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.9879 GPIA, 99% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.9788 GPIA is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.7483 GPIA, 1.3× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.928 GPIA | 0.928 GPIA | 0.928 GPIA | 1 |
| 1980s | 0.9263 GPIA | 0.9263 GPIA | 0.9263 GPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.9385 GPIA | 0.9316 GPIA | 0.9512 GPIA | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.9609 GPIA | 0.9466 GPIA | 0.9748 GPIA | 6 |
| 2020s | 0.9802 GPIA | 0.9788 GPIA | 0.9817 GPIA | 3 |
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 mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in South Africa?
- Mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in South Africa was 0.9788 GPIA in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.9817 GPIA in 2020.
- What is the lowest mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9263 GPIA in 1985.
- How does South Africa rank for mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years?
- South Africa ranks 67th out of 121 countries with data for 2023.
- Is mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. 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 Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release