Percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in private in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in private was 49.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in private in South Africa, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 49.0% for percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in private in 2023.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in private in South Africa peaked at 55.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 47.9%, in 2018.
That places South Africa 107th out of 168 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in private in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 55.0% | — |
| 2000 | 55.3% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 55.0% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 53.9% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 53.9% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 54.2% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 53.9% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 53.6% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 53.4% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 53.0% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 53.1% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 53.0% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 52.9% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 53.2% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 48.4% | -9.1% |
| 2017 | 47.9% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 47.9% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 48.4% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 54.4% | +12.5% |
| 2021 | 50.2% | -7.7% |
| 2022 | 49.9% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 49.0% | -1.7% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 49.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 51.2%, 96% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 49.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 51.7%, 95% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 55.0% | 55.0% | 55.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 53.9% | 53.0% | 55.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.3% | 47.9% | 53.2% | 7 |
| 2020s | 50.9% | 49.0% | 54.4% | 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 upper secondary education in private in South Africa?
- Percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in private in South Africa was 49.0% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in private recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 55.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in private recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.9% in 2018.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in private?
- South Africa ranks 107th out of 168 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in private rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. 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 upper secondary education in private institutions, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release