Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 9.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
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 9.8%. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 37.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa peaked at 17.5% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 9.8%, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 44th of 124 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 15.7% | — |
| 2015 | 15.2% | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 14.6% | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 15.5% | +6.3% |
| 2018 | 16.0% | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 17.5% | +8.8% |
| 2020 | 16.6% | -5.2% |
| 2021 | 15.5% | -6.5% |
| 2022 | 9.8% | -36.5% |
| 2023 | 9.8% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15.7% | 14.6% | 17.5% | 6 |
| 2020s | 12.9% | 9.8% | 16.6% | 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 9.8% 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 17.5% in 2019.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.8% in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Africa ranks 44th out of 124 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 37.4%. 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 Social Sciences, Journalism and Information programmes, both sexes (%). 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