Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and was 49.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
49.2%
Change on year
up 4.8%
World rank
8th
of 113 countries
All-time high
49.2%
in 2023
All-time low
41.2%
in 2014
Years of data
10
2014–2023
Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Africa, 2014–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 49.2% for percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in 2023. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
The figure is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 19.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in South Africa peaked at 49.2% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 41.2%, in 2014.
South Africa ranks 8th of 113 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 41.2% | — |
| 2015 | 41.3% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 41.9% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 42.8% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 43.5% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 43.8% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 46.2% | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 47.2% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 46.9% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 49.2% | +4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 42.4% | 41.2% | 43.8% | 6 |
| 2020s | 47.4% | 46.2% | 49.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 5 North Macedonia 51.9% compare
- 6 Algeria 51.1% compare
- 7 Qatar 50.7% compare
- 9 Palestine, State of 48.4% compare
- 10 Argentina 46.8% compare
- 11 United Arab Emirates 46.3% compare
More education data for South Africa
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.22 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 287,310 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 13.45 % change on previous year (2015)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.82 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2023)
- 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)
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 49.2% 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 49.2% in 2023.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.2% in 2014.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and?
- South Africa ranks 8th out of 113 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 19.2%. 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 who are 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