Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in private in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in private was 4.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in private in South Africa, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in private in South Africa is 4.9%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 35.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in private in South Africa peaked at 4.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1999.
South Africa ranks 143rd of 185 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in private in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 2.0% | — |
| 2000 | 2.0% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2.0% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | +10.9% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | +9.8% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 2.8% | +9.5% |
| 2006 | 2.9% | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 2.7% | -6.1% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | +9.8% |
| 2010 | 3.5% | +10.3% |
| 2011 | 3.6% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 4.0% | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | -9.5% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | +11.9% |
| 2019 | 4.3% | +6.3% |
| 2020 | 4.5% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 4.7% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 4.9% | +4.5% |
| 2023 | 4.9% | +0.7% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 4.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10.0%, 49% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 4.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.1%, 35% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.0% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 8 |
| 2020s | 4.7% | 4.5% | 4.9% | 4 |
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 percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in private in South Africa?
- Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in private in South Africa was 4.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in private recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in private recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in private?
- South Africa ranks 143rd out of 185 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in private rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.9%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in private institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release