Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 17.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, 2012–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa is 17.6%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and down 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa peaked at 20.4% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 16.6%, in 2021.
That places South Africa 33rd out of 126 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 19.5% | — |
| 2013 | 19.7% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 18.7% | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 18.0% | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 19.4% | +8.0% |
| 2017 | 19.3% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 20.4% | +5.5% |
| 2019 | 19.4% | -4.8% |
| 2020 | 18.8% | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 16.6% | -11.8% |
| 2022 | 17.2% | +3.8% |
| 2023 | 17.6% | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 19.3% | 18.0% | 20.4% | 8 |
| 2020s | 17.6% | 16.6% | 18.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.65 million (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 17.6% 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 20.4% in 2018.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.6% in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Africa ranks 33rd out of 126 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 down 10.7%. 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 tertiary education graduating from Education programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release