Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 44.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, 2014–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 44.1% for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in 2023. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 27.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa peaked at 44.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 33.7%, in 2019.
South Africa ranks 6th of 122 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 | 34.7% | — |
| 2015 | 35.5% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 36.5% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 35.6% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 34.8% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 33.7% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 35.9% | +6.4% |
| 2021 | 36.2% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 43.0% | +18.8% |
| 2023 | 44.1% | +2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 35.2% | 33.7% | 36.5% | 6 |
| 2020s | 39.8% | 35.9% | 44.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 3 Liechtenstein 76.4% compare
- 4 Bahrain 47.1% compare
- 5 Lebanon 44.8%
- 7 Botswana 44.0%
- 8 Luxembourg 42.8% compare
- 9 Niger 42.6% compare
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 44.1% 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 44.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.7% in 2019.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Africa ranks 6th out of 122 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 27.0%. 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, 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