Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 37.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
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 37.3%. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in South Africa peaked at 41.9% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 37.3%, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 130th of 149 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling 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 | 41.8% | — |
| 2013 | 41.7% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 41.7% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 41.7% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 41.9% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 41.5% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 40.9% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 40.4% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 39.2% | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 38.6% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 37.9% | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 37.3% | -1.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 37.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 41.2%, 90% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 37.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 58.2%, 64% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 41.4% | 40.4% | 41.9% | 8 |
| 2020s | 38.2% | 37.3% | 39.2% | 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 37.3% 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 41.9% in 2016.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.3% in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- South Africa ranks 130th 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 down 10.6%. 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 tertiary education in public institutions, male (%). 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