Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa
South Africa: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 11.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, 2014–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 11.4% for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in 2023.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 34.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa peaked at 19.1% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 2022.
That places South Africa 41st out of 121 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 17.4% | — |
| 2015 | 17.1% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 16.5% | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 17.3% | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 17.8% | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 19.1% | +7.5% |
| 2020 | 18.4% | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 17.3% | -6.0% |
| 2022 | 11.3% | -34.7% |
| 2023 | 11.4% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 17.5% | 16.5% | 19.1% | 6 |
| 2020s | 14.6% | 11.3% | 18.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 38 New Zealand 11.8% compare
- 39 Lebanon 11.8%
- 40 Luxembourg 11.6% compare
- 42 Iran, Islamic Republic of 11.4% compare
- 43 Cambodia 11.4% compare
- 44 Lithuania 11.3% 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 11.4% 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 19.1% in 2019.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- South Africa ranks 41st 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 down 34.4%. 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, female (%). 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