Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 6.1% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Latest (2018)
6.1%
Change on year
down 8.3%
World rank
84th
of 98 countries
All-time high
6.8%
in 2015
All-time low
6.1%
in 2018
Years of data
5
2014–2018
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, 2014–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2018, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa stood at 6.1%. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.3% on the previous year and down 5.8% over five years.
South Africa ranks 84th of 98 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 6.5% | — |
| 2015 | 6.8% | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 6.7% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 6.7% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 6.1% | -8.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 6.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10.5%, 59% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 6.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.3%, 60% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 81 Iran, Islamic Republic of 6.4% compare
- 82 Colombia 6.4% compare
- 83 Cyprus 6.2% compare
- 85 Viet Nam 6.0%
- 86 Ethiopia 5.6%
- 87 Macau, China 5.2% compare
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 6.1% 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 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 6.1% in 2018.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Africa ranks 84th 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 Health and Welfare programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of all tertiary graduates who completed health and welfare programmes in the reference year.