Persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Africa
South Africa: Persistence to last grade of primary, male was 94.0% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Africa, 1990–2022
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of cohort.
Analysis
In 2022, persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Africa stood at 94.0%.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 33.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Africa peaked at 95.8% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 58.6%, in 1999.
That places South Africa 69th out of 164 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 last grade of primary, male in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of cohort | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 63.2% | — |
| 1998 | 67.5% | +6.8% |
| 1999 | 58.6% | -13.2% |
| 2001 | 76.1% | +30.0% |
| 2002 | 75.3% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 75.0% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 70.6% | -5.8% |
| 2017 | 87.3% | +23.6% |
| 2018 | 94.0% | +7.6% |
| 2019 | 95.8% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 93.8% | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 94.0% | +0.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 94.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 93.8%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 94.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.9%, 1.5× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63.1% | 58.6% | 67.5% | 3 |
| 2000s | 75.5% | 75.0% | 76.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 86.9% | 70.6% | 95.8% | 4 |
| 2020s | 93.9% | 93.8% | 94.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 66 Cape Verde 94.6% compare
- 67 New Caledonia 94.5%
- 68 Latvia 94.3% compare
- 70 Vietnam 94.0% compare
- 71 North Macedonia 93.9% compare
- 72 Costa Rica 93.8% 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 persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Africa?
- Persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Africa was 94.0% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest persistence to last grade of primary, male recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 95.8% in 2019.
- What is the lowest persistence to last grade of primary, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.6% in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for persistence to last grade of primary, male?
- South Africa ranks 69th out of 164 countries with data for 2022.
- Is persistence to last grade of primary, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.2%. 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 last grade of primary, male (% 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 last grade of primary is the percentage of children enrolled in the first grade of primary school who eventually reach the last grade of primary education. The estimate is based on the reconstructed cohort method.