Percentage of graduates from programmes other than Science in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from programmes other than Science was 86.7% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
86.7%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
50th
of 122 countries
All-time high
87.3%
in 2016
All-time low
86.2%
in 2021
Years of data
10
2014–2023
Percentage of graduates from programmes other than Science in South Africa, 2014–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of graduates from programmes other than science in South Africa stood at 86.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from programmes other than science in South Africa peaked at 87.3% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 86.2%, in 2021.
That places South Africa 50th out of 122 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Percentage of graduates from programmes other than Science in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 86.6% | — |
| 2015 | 86.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 87.3% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 86.9% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 87.1% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 86.9% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 87.3% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 86.2% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 86.9% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 86.7% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 86.9% | 86.6% | 87.3% | 6 |
| 2020s | 86.7% | 86.2% | 87.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 47 Puerto Rico 87.1% compare
- 48 Lao People's Democratic Republic 87.0% compare
- 49 Poland 86.9% compare
- 51 Ukraine 86.4% compare
- 52 Palestine, State of 86.3% compare
- 53 Honduras 86.2% compare
More education data for South Africa
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.68 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.97 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 818,404 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 3.28 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.19 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -2.55 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 225,583 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 61,727 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 748,573 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -1.43 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of graduates from programmes other than science in South Africa?
- Percentage of graduates from programmes other than science in South Africa was 86.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from programmes other than science recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 87.3% in 2016.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from programmes other than science recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 86.2% in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from programmes other than science?
- South Africa ranks 50th out of 122 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of graduates from programmes other than science rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of graduates from programmes other than Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in tertiary education, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release