Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 1.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa, 2012–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa is 1.4%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa peaked at 1.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2016.
That places South Africa 20th out of 149 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1.3% | — |
| 2013 | 1.3% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | +1.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.3%, 1.1× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.7%, 2.0× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 17 Palestine, State of 1.4% compare
- 18 Sri Lanka 1.4% compare
- 19 Seychelles 1.4% compare
- 21 Botswana 1.4% compare
- 22 Sweden 1.4% compare
- 23 British Virgin Islands 1.4% compare
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 tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa was 1.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- South Africa ranks 20th out of 149 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release