Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa

South Africa: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 8.0% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
8.0%
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
76th
of 98 countries
All-time high
8.7%
in 2014
All-time low
8.0%
in 2018
Years of data
5
2014–2018

Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, 2014–2018

024682014201620182014: 8.7 %2015: 8.7 %2016: 8.3 %2017: 8.1 %2018: 8 %

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 8.0%, measured in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 7.8% over five years.

That places South Africa 76th out of 98 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction programmes, both sexes (%) in South Africa, 2014 to 2018.
Year % Change
2014 8.7%
2015 8.7% -0.2%
2016 8.3% -4.4%
2017 8.1% -2.2%
2018 8.0% -1.2%

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 73 New Zealand 8.5% compare
  2. 74 Guyana 8.3%
  3. 75 Netherlands 8.2% compare
  4. 77 Australia 7.8% compare
  5. 78 Ghana 7.6%
  6. 79 Costa Rica 7.5% compare

See the full ranking of 98 places →

More education data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

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 8.0% in 2018, 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 8.7% in 2014.
What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 2018.
How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
South Africa ranks 76th out of 98 countries with data for 2018.
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 Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-graduates-from-tertiary-education-graduating-from-engineering-manufacturing/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction programmes, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
98 places, 1,159 data points, 1998–2020
Last refreshed

Share of all tertiary graduates who completed engineering, manufacturing and construction programmes in the reference year.