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 1.38 GPIA in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.38 GPIA
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
9th
of 102 countries
All-time high
1.38 GPIA
in 2023
All-time low
0.9315 GPIA
in 2002
Years of data
21
2000–2024
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
The most recent figure for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in South Africa is 1.38 GPIA, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in South Africa peaked at 1.38 GPIA in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.9315 GPIA, in 2002.
South Africa ranks 9th of 102 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
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 | 0.9377 GPIA | — |
| 2001 | 0.9747 GPIA | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 0.9315 GPIA | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 0.9638 GPIA | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 1.02 GPIA | +5.3% |
| 2005 | 0.9809 GPIA | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 0.9661 GPIA | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 1.17 GPIA | +20.7% |
| 2011 | 1.16 GPIA | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 1.17 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 1.23 GPIA | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 1.25 GPIA | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 1.26 GPIA | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 1.31 GPIA | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 1.18 GPIA | -10.0% |
| 2019 | 1.28 GPIA | +8.7% |
| 2020 | 1.12 GPIA | -12.2% |
| 2021 | 1.21 GPIA | +8.2% |
| 2022 | 1.29 GPIA | +6.7% |
| 2023 | 1.38 GPIA | +6.8% |
| 2024 | 1.38 GPIA | -0.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.38 GPIA is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.11 GPIA, 1.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.38 GPIA is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.7572 GPIA, 1.8× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.9919 GPIA | 0.9315 GPIA | 1.17 GPIA | 8 |
| 2010s | 1.23 GPIA | 1.16 GPIA | 1.31 GPIA | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.28 GPIA | 1.12 GPIA | 1.38 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 1.38 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 1.38 GPIA in 2023.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9315 GPIA in 2002.
- How does South Africa rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- South Africa ranks 9th out of 102 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 11.9%. 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 Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 25-54 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