Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Africa

South Africa: Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and was 0.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
0.5%
Change on year
up 6.7%
World rank
24th
of 120 countries
All-time high
0.5%
in 2023
All-time low
0.5%
in 2014
Years of data
10
2014–2023

Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Africa, 2014–2023

00.20.40.62014201820232014: 0.46 GPIA2015: 0.462 GPIA2016: 0.46 GPIA2017: 0.471 GPIA2018: 0.468 GPIA2019: 0.471 GPIA2020: 0.502 GPIA2021: 0.506 GPIA2022: 0.507 GPIA2023: 0.541 GPIA

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.5% for percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in 2023. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.7% on the previous year and up 17.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Africa peaked at 0.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2014.

South Africa ranks 24th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programmes in tertiary education, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA) in South Africa, 2014 to 2023.
Year GPIA Change
2014 0.5%
2015 0.5% +0.4%
2016 0.5% -0.3%
2017 0.5% +2.2%
2018 0.5% -0.6%
2019 0.5% +0.6%
2020 0.5% +6.6%
2021 0.5% +0.9%
2022 0.5% +0.1%
2023 0.5% +6.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 6
2020s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 21 Egypt 0.6% compare
  2. 22 Iran 0.6% compare
  3. 23 Kenya 0.6% compare
  4. 25 Serbia 0.5% compare
  5. 26 Jordan 0.5% compare
  6. 27 Palestine, State of 0.5% compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

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 0.5% 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 0.5% in 2023.
What is the lowest percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2014.
How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and?
South Africa ranks 24th out of 120 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 up 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-graduates-from-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-programmes-in-5/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programmes in tertiary education, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA)
Unit
GPIA
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
120 places, 1,669 data points, 1998–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release