Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 62.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa, 2012–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa stood at 62.7%. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa peaked at 62.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 58.1%, in 2016.
South Africa ranks 20th of 149 countries on this measure, 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 | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 58.2% | — |
| 2013 | 58.3% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 58.3% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 58.3% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 58.1% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 58.5% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 59.1% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 59.6% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 60.8% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 61.4% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 62.1% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 62.7% | +1.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 62.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 58.8%, 1.1× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 62.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 41.8%, 1.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 58.6% | 58.1% | 59.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 61.8% | 60.8% | 62.7% | 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 tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa was 62.7% 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 62.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.1% 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 7.6%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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