Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in South Africa
South Africa: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal was 1.03 GPIA in 2024. ▲ Rising
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
In 2024, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in South Africa stood at 1.03 GPIA. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in South Africa peaked at 1.03 GPIA in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.8768 GPIA, in 2003.
South Africa ranks 78th of 110 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.9461 GPIA | — |
| 2001 | 0.9008 GPIA | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 0.8966 GPIA | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 0.8768 GPIA | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 0.8893 GPIA | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 0.9244 GPIA | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 0.9109 GPIA | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 0.9288 GPIA | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 0.9722 GPIA | +4.7% |
| 2013 | 0.9778 GPIA | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 0.9873 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 1 GPIA | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 1 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 0.9904 GPIA | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 1 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 1.01 GPIA | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 1.01 GPIA | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.9955 GPIA | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 1.02 GPIA | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 1.01 GPIA | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 1.03 GPIA | +1.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.03 GPIA is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.09 GPIA, 94% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.03 GPIA is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.8781 GPIA, 1.2× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.9092 GPIA | 0.8768 GPIA | 0.9461 GPIA | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.9932 GPIA | 0.9722 GPIA | 1.01 GPIA | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.01 GPIA | 0.9955 GPIA | 1.03 GPIA | 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 participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in South Africa?
- Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in South Africa was 1.03 GPIA in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.03 GPIA in 2024.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8768 GPIA in 2003.
- How does South Africa rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- South Africa ranks 78th out of 110 countries with data for 2024.
- Is participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. 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 Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-24 years old, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release