Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 5.5% 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 5.5%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa peaked at 6.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2022.
That places South Africa 111th out of 123 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
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 | 6.6% | — |
| 2013 | 6.4% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 6.5% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 6.8% | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 6.7% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 6.7% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 6.1% | -8.3% |
| 2019 | 6.2% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 5.6% | -9.0% |
| 2021 | 5.7% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | -4.9% |
| 2023 | 5.5% | +2.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 5.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 12.2%, 45% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 5.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.4%, 59% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6.5% | 6.1% | 6.8% | 8 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 5.4% | 5.7% | 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 5.5% 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 6.8% in 2015.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Africa ranks 111th out of 123 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 14.7%. 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 Health and Welfare 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