Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 7.1% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
7.1%
Change on year
up 8.0%
World rank
29th
of 121 countries
All-time high
7.3%
in 2021
All-time low
6.5%
in 2016
Years of data
10
2014–2023
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, 2014–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa stood at 7.1%.
That represents a change of up 8.0% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa peaked at 7.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 6.5%, in 2016.
South Africa ranks 29th of 121 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 | 6.7% | — |
| 2015 | 6.9% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 6.5% | -5.1% |
| 2017 | 6.7% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 6.5% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 6.7% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 6.8% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 7.3% | +6.9% |
| 2022 | 6.6% | -9.5% |
| 2023 | 7.1% | +8.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6.7% | 6.5% | 6.9% | 6 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 6.6% | 7.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 26 Ireland 7.3% compare
- 27 Greece 7.2% compare
- 28 New Zealand 7.1% compare
- 30 Czechia 7.1% compare
- 31 Brunei Darussalam 6.7% compare
- 32 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 6.7% 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 7.1% 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 7.3% in 2021.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.5% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Africa ranks 29th out of 121 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 up 5.2%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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