Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public was 1.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in South Africa, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in South Africa stood at 1.0%. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in South Africa peaked at 1.1% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 96th of 191 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1.1% | — |
| 2000 | 1.1% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 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 public in South Africa?
- Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in South Africa was 1.0% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.1% in 1999.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public?
- South Africa ranks 96th out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 public institutions, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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