Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 6.2% 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 6.2%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa peaked at 8.5% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 6.2%, in 2023.
That places South Africa 110th out of 122 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 | 8.1% | — |
| 2013 | 7.9% | -3.5% |
| 2014 | 8.1% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 8.5% | +5.1% |
| 2016 | 8.2% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 8.2% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 7.4% | -10.0% |
| 2019 | 7.4% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 6.4% | -13.7% |
| 2021 | 6.4% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 6.3% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 6.2% | -1.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 6.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.8%, 42% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 6.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.6%, 58% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 8.0% | 7.4% | 8.5% | 8 |
| 2020s | 6.3% | 6.2% | 6.4% | 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 6.2% 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 8.5% in 2015.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.2% in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Africa ranks 110th 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 down 21.4%. 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, 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