Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and was 17.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Africa, 2014–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Africa stood at 17.4%. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Africa peaked at 19.6% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 17.4%, in 2023.
That places South Africa 97th out of 124 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 19.6% | — |
| 2015 | 19.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 18.5% | -5.6% |
| 2017 | 18.6% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 18.3% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 18.3% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 17.4% | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 18.7% | +7.5% |
| 2022 | 17.7% | -5.4% |
| 2023 | 17.4% | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 18.8% | 18.3% | 19.6% | 6 |
| 2020s | 17.8% | 17.4% | 18.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 444,590 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) -4.38 % change on previous year (2023)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Africa?
- Percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Africa was 17.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 19.6% in 2015.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.4% in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and?
- South Africa ranks 97th out of 124 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.0%. 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 graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programmes in tertiary education, both sexes (%). 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