Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and was 24.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Africa, 2014–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 24.6% for percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.4% on the previous year and down 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Africa peaked at 29.0% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 24.6%, in 2023.
That places South Africa 101st out of 122 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 | 29.0% | — |
| 2015 | 29.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 27.6% | -5.1% |
| 2017 | 27.5% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 27.3% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 27.4% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 25.4% | -7.2% |
| 2021 | 27.3% | +7.6% |
| 2022 | 25.8% | -5.7% |
| 2023 | 24.6% | -4.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 28.0% | 27.3% | 29.0% | 6 |
| 2020s | 25.8% | 24.6% | 27.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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 science, technology, engineering and in South Africa?
- Percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Africa was 24.6% 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 29.0% in 2015.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.6% in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and?
- South Africa ranks 101st out of 122 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 15.1%. 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, male (%). 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