Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 42.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, 2014–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa stood at 42.4%. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and up 32.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa peaked at 42.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 30.9%, in 2019.
South Africa ranks 9th of 124 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 32.0% | — |
| 2015 | 32.7% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 33.2% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 32.2% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 31.4% | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 30.9% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 34.0% | +10.0% |
| 2021 | 35.5% | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 41.6% | +17.2% |
| 2023 | 42.4% | +1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 32.1% | 30.9% | 33.2% | 6 |
| 2020s | 38.4% | 34.0% | 42.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 181,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 339,638 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,708 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa?
- Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa was 42.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 42.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.9% in 2019.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Africa ranks 9th out of 124 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.2%. 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 tertiary education graduating from Business, Administration and Law programmes, 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