Persistence to grade 5, female in South Africa
South Africa: Persistence to grade 5, female was 97.8% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Persistence to grade 5, female in South Africa, 1990–2022
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of cohort.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 97.8% for persistence to grade 5, female in 2022.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persistence to grade 5, female in South Africa peaked at 99.7% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 64.3%, in 1999.
That places South Africa 41st out of 149 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Persistence to grade 5, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of cohort | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 78.7% | — |
| 1998 | 80.2% | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 64.3% | -19.9% |
| 2001 | 89.2% | +38.9% |
| 2002 | 86.7% | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 83.4% | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 92.8% | +11.2% |
| 2017 | 94.4% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 99.7% | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 95.6% | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 97.7% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 97.8% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 74.4% | 64.3% | 80.2% | 3 |
| 2000s | 86.5% | 83.4% | 89.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 95.6% | 92.8% | 99.7% | 4 |
| 2020s | 97.8% | 97.7% | 97.8% | 2 |
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 persistence to grade 5, female in South Africa?
- Persistence to grade 5, female in South Africa was 97.8% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest persistence to grade 5, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 99.7% in 2018.
- What is the lowest persistence to grade 5, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.3% in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for persistence to grade 5, female?
- South Africa ranks 41st out of 149 countries with data for 2022.
- Is persistence to grade 5, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Persistence to grade 5, female (% of cohort). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Persistence to grade 5 (percentage of cohort reaching grade 5) is the share of children enrolled in the first grade of primary school who eventually reach grade 5. The estimate is based on the reconstructed cohort method.