Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 7.3% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, 2014–2023
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 7.3%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and down 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa peaked at 7.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 7.1%, in 2020.
South Africa ranks 29th of 123 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 7.5% | — |
| 2015 | 7.8% | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 7.1% | -7.9% |
| 2017 | 7.3% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 7.3% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 7.3% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 7.1% | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 7.6% | +7.1% |
| 2022 | 7.1% | -6.5% |
| 2023 | 7.3% | +2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.4% | 7.1% | 7.8% | 6 |
| 2020s | 7.3% | 7.1% | 7.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 26 Trinidad and Tobago 7.6% compare
- 27 Rwanda 7.4% compare
- 28 New Zealand 7.4% compare
- 30 Morocco 7.1% compare
- 31 Czechia 7.1% compare
- 32 Switzerland 6.9% 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 7.3% 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 7.8% in 2015.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.1% in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Africa ranks 29th 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 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release