Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 20.5% 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 20.5%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa peaked at 25.2% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 19.4%, in 2021.
South Africa ranks 33rd of 124 countries on this measure, 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 | 24.1% | — |
| 2013 | 24.5% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 23.3% | -5.1% |
| 2015 | 22.5% | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 24.2% | +7.7% |
| 2017 | 24.0% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 25.2% | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 23.8% | -5.6% |
| 2020 | 22.2% | -6.9% |
| 2021 | 19.4% | -12.4% |
| 2022 | 20.9% | +7.5% |
| 2023 | 20.5% | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 23.9% | 22.5% | 25.2% | 8 |
| 2020s | 20.7% | 19.4% | 22.2% | 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 20.5% 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 25.2% in 2018.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.4% in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Africa ranks 33rd 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 down 16.6%. 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, female (%). 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